A question on Vo2max and disease

yirara
yirara Posts: 9,388 Member
edited March 2021 in Health and Weight Loss
Vaguely health and fitness-related. Can someone explain for dummies what this sentence means?
[Typical is] a reduction in maximal whole-body oxygen consumption (Vo2max) demonstrated by a characteristic deficit in peripheral oxygen extraction (arteriovenous O2 difference) and an enhanced oxygen delivery (hyperkinetic circulation)

Does the first part of this sentence mean that the body needs less oxygen or doesn't take up as much as needed? Or something completely different? Would you say that despite being fit enough, the body doesn't know what to do with all the oxygen and hence exercise is more difficult? What does the second part mean, practically?

Replies

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,961 Member
    Higher VO2 max is generally associated with higher levels of fitness/training, so it sounds like they're talking about some condition or circumstances associated with lower levels of fitness/training, and thus not taking up as much oxygen as needed, rather than needing less oxygen. But taken in conjunction with the second part of the sentence, it sounds as though they're saying this is a case where the limiting factor (the bottleneck, as it were) for VO2 max is in peripheral oxygen extraction -- e.g., insufficient capillary development (from lack of training? from a disease?) to effectively use the oxygen being provided by the heart and lungs.

    I wouldn't say "the body doesn't know what to do with all the oxygen" -- I would say the body can't use all the oxygen because of some limiting factor in getting the oxygen out of the blood and into the cells, either anatomical (insufficient capillary system or possibly insufficient muscle tissue) or disease-related (some type of myopathy?). The factor would probably be very clear if you told us what the part of the quote you provided is "typical" of (see the brackets at the beginning of the quote).
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,388 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    Higher VO2 max is generally associated with higher levels of fitness/training, so it sounds like they're talking about some condition or circumstances associated with lower levels of fitness/training, and thus not taking up as much oxygen as needed, rather than needing less oxygen. But taken in conjunction with the second part of the sentence, it sounds as though they're saying this is a case where the limiting factor (the bottleneck, as it were) for VO2 max is in peripheral oxygen extraction -- e.g., insufficient capillary development (from lack of training? from a disease?) to effectively use the oxygen being provided by the heart and lungs.

    I wouldn't say "the body doesn't know what to do with all the oxygen" -- I would say the body can't use all the oxygen because of some limiting factor in getting the oxygen out of the blood and into the cells, either anatomical (insufficient capillary system or possibly insufficient muscle tissue) or disease-related (some type of myopathy?). The factor would probably be very clear if you told us what the part of the quote you provided is "typical" of (see the brackets at the beginning of the quote).

    thanks a lot @lynn_glenmont
    It was personal interest for a family member who asked me to explain. And I could neither. This is indeed from a myopathy paper, from here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2872126/

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,388 Member
    Oh, I think I understand it now. Oxygen doesn't get absorbed into tissue as good as it should be, and hence more oxygen returns via the venous system to the lungs? Does this cause any problems, apart from useless muscles? Hmm.. thinking on, so if muscles don't get enough oxygen the body switches to anaerobic metabolism quite a bit below the usual anaerobic threshold, which results in build-up of lactic acid at maaaybe moderate exercise levels?
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,961 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Oh, I think I understand it now. Oxygen doesn't get absorbed into tissue as good as it should be, and hence more oxygen returns via the venous system to the lungs? Does this cause any problems, apart from useless muscles? Hmm.. thinking on, so if muscles don't get enough oxygen the body switches to anaerobic metabolism quite a bit below the usual anaerobic threshold, which results in build-up of lactic acid at maaaybe moderate exercise levels?

    I'm afraid I don't have answers for these questions.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,388 Member
    Don't worry. Was worth a shot.

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