Association Among Different Aerobic Threshold Markers and FATmax in Men With Obesity

Purpose: This work studies the interrelation of the first ventilatory threshold (VT1), the heart rate inflection point (HRIP), and the exercise intensity at which blood lactate started to accumulate (LIAB) or increased 1 mmol∙L-1 above baseline (LT+1.0); and examinee their association with the exercise intensity eliciting maximal fat oxidation (FATmax). Methods: Eighteen young men with obesity performed an incremental-load exercise test on a treadmill after overnight fasting. Gas exchange, heart rate, and blood lactate concentration were recorded. Linear regression analysis was used to determine the association among FATmax and AeT markers. A standard error of estimate (SEE) ≤9 beats∙min-1 and the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) were used to examine the accuracy of different AeT for predicting FATmax heart rate. Results: The FATmax occurred at 36±7%VO2peak before the HRIP (41±6%VO2peak), LIAB (42±10%VO2peak), LT+1.0 (61±9%VO2peak) and VT1 (40±7%VO2peak). Furthermore, the HRIP (R2= 0.71; SEE= 6 beats∙min-1; CCC=0.77), VT1 (R2= 0.76; SEE= 5 beats∙min-1; CCC=0.84) and LIAB (R2= 0.77; SEE= 5 beats∙min-1; CCC=0.85) were strongly associated to FATmax and showed an acceptable estimation error for predicting FATmax heart rate. Otherwise, LT+1.0 showed a moderate correlation with FATmax, a low accuracy for predicting FATmax HR (R2= 0.57; SEE= 7 beats∙min-1; CCC=0.66) and a poor agreement with the rest of AeT markers (Bias: +20%VO2peak). Conclusion: The HRIP, LIAB and VT1 did not perfectly captured the FATmax, however, these could be exchanged for predicting the FATmax heart rate in men with obesity. Moreover, the LT+1.0 should not be used for AeT or FATmax assessment in men with obesity.