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Aerobic exercise capacity and pulmonary function in athletes with and without type 1 diabetes
William R Komatsu1, Turibio L Barros Neto, Antonio R Chacra
1Diabetes Center, Department of Medicine, Endocrinology Division, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. william.komatsu@unifesp.br
Objective:
To compare the aerobic exercise capacity and pulmonary function between athletes with and without type 1 diabetes.
Research Design And Methods:
Fifty-one adult age-matched individuals were assessed in random order to the maximum volume of O(2) consumption (Vo(2 peak max)) (ml/kg/min), anaerobic threshold (ml/kg/min), peak pulmonary ventilation (Ve), heart rate (beats per min), time to exhaustion (min), forced vital capacity (FEV) (%), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) (%), total lung capacity (TLC) (%), and lung diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DL(CO)) (%). Individuals were 27 with type 1 diabetes: 15 athletes (ADM) and 12 nonathletes (NADM); and 24 healthy individuals: 12 ADM and 12 NADM. Duration of diabetes was 14.6 ± 6.2 and 15.2 ± 6.7 years in ADM and NADM, respectively.
Results:
Vo(2 peak) (max) was higher in ADM than in NADM (P < 0.001). The anaerobic threshold was lower in subjects with type 1 diabetes than in control subjects (P < 0.001). FEV1 was lower in ADM than in other groups (NADM, athletes control, and nonathletes control, P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
Aerobic capacity in subjects with type 1 diabetes with programmed exercise is similar to the capacity of normal athletes despite lower anaerobic threshold and FEV1.
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