Plasma glucose kinetics in a well-trained cyclist fed glucose throughout exercise

We hypothesized that when plasma glucose availability is maintained by carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion, trained cyclists can utilize plasma glucose at very high rates during the later stages of prolonged exercise (10). To test this hypothesis, a well-trained male cyclist was studied during exercise to fatigue at 70% VO2max when ingesting glucose throughout exercise. A primed continuous infusion of [U-13C]glucose was begun after 60 min of exercise to measure rates of plasma glucose appearance (Ra), disappearance (Rd), and oxidation (R(ox)). Ra and Rd rose progressively throughout exercise, peaking at 6.85 and 6.99 mmol/min, respectively, at fatigue (i.e., 133 min). Most (93%) of this glucose was oxidized; during the final 30 min of exercise, R(ox) averaged 6.10 mmol/min and accounted for approximately half of total CHO oxidation. These results support the hypothesis that trained cyclists can oxidize plasma glucose at very high rates during the later stages of prolonged exercise when fed CHO.