Acute post-exercise oxygen uptake, hormone and plasma metabolite response in obese men

This study aimed to compare oxygen uptake (  VO2), hormone and plasma metabolite responses during the 30 min after submaximal incremental exercise (Incr) performed at the same relative/absolute exercise intensity and duration in lean (L) and obese (O) men. Eight L and 8 O men (BMI: 22.9 ± 0.4; 37.2 ± 1.8 kg · m(-2)) completed Incr and were then seated for 30 min.   VO2 was monitored during the first 10 min and from the 25-30(th) minutes of recovery. Blood samples were drawn for the determination of hormone (catecholamines, insulin) and plasma metabolite (NEFA, glycerol) concentrations. Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) magnitude during the first 10 min was similar in O and in L (3.5 ± 0.4; 3.4 ± 0.3 liters, respectively, p=0.86). When normalized to percent change (  VO2END=100%), %   VO2END during recovery was significantly higher from 90-120 s in O than in L (p ≤ 0.04). There were no significant differences in catecholamines (p ≥ 0.24), whereas insulin was significantly higher in O than in L during recovery (p=0.01). The time-course of glycerol was similar from 10-30 min of recovery (-42% for L; -41% for O, p=0.85), whereas significantly different patterns of NEFA were found from 10-30 min of recovery between groups (-18% for L; +8% for O, p=0.03). Despite similar EPOC, a difference in   VO2 modulation between groups was observed, likely due to faster initial rates of   VO2 decline in L than in O. The different patterns of NEFA between groups may suggest a lower NEFA reesterification during recovery in O, which was not involved in the rapid EPOC component.