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Why do arms extract less oxygen than legs during exercise?

J A L Calbet1, H-C Holmberg, H Rosdahl

  • 1Department of Physical Education, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. lopezcalbet@terra.es

American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology
|May 28, 2005
PubMed
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Leg muscles extract more oxygen during exercise than arm muscles, despite similar hemoglobin oxygen off-loading conditions. This difference is likely due to factors like blood flow distribution and diffusion efficiency in the arms.

Area of Science:

  • Exercise Physiology
  • Sports Science
  • Human Physiology

Background:

  • Oxygen (O2) utilization and off-loading from hemoglobin are critical for muscle function during exercise.
  • Understanding regional differences in O2 metabolism between arms and legs is important for optimizing athletic performance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare oxygen utilization and hemoglobin oxygen off-loading conditions in exercising arms versus legs.
  • To identify factors contributing to differences in oxygen extraction between upper and lower limbs during intense physical activity.

Main Methods:

  • Six cross-country skiers performed treadmill skiing at maximal oxygen uptake (V(O2)max) using diagonal stride, double poling, and leg skiing techniques.
  • Femoral and subclavian vein blood flow and gases were measured.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Oxygen extraction, P50 (partial pressure of oxygen at 50% hemoglobin saturation), and capillary muscle O2 conductance were analyzed.

    • Main Results:

    • Legs consistently showed higher O2 extraction percentages than arms, reaching 93% versus 85% during maximal exercise (diagonal stride).
    • Arm O2 extraction correlated with P50, but leg O2 extraction was always higher for a given P50.
    • Capillary muscle O2 conductance was significantly higher in legs (48.3 ml.min(-1).mmHg(-1)) compared to arms (14.5 ml.min(-1).mmHg(-1)) during maximal exercise.

    Conclusions:

    • Oxygen off-loading conditions from hemoglobin are similar in arm and leg muscles.
    • Differences in maximal O2 extraction between arms and legs are attributed to factors like blood flow heterogeneity, transit time, and diffusion characteristics.
    • Arms exhibit greater heterogeneity in blood flow distribution, shorter transit times, smaller diffusing areas, and larger diffusing distances compared to legs.