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Published on: April 7, 2014
Vagal Activity and Fat Oxidation Basal Correlates in Older Active Postmenopausal Women: A Cross-Sectional Study
Jordi Monferrer-Marín1, Ainoa Roldán1, Jørn Wulff Helge2
1Sport Performance and Physical Fitness Research Group (UIRFIDE), Physical Education and Sports Department, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
Background:
Heart Rate Variability at rest has been recently associated with metabolic outcomes alongside exercise, which in turn have been associated with energy expenditure, muscle power and fat mass. This study aimed to analyse the relationship at rest between autonomic function and metabolic outcomes, in physically active postmenopausal women. We hypothesised that, autonomic function is more strongly associated with Fat oxidation than basal metabolic rate. In sixty-one active postmenopausal women (67.9 ± 5.3 years; 40.3 ± 4.3 kg muscle mass) basal metabolic rate and Heart Rate Variability analysis was recorded simultaneously for 30 min with participants resting supine under standardised activity and diet conditions.
Results:
Root Mean Square of Successive Differences of heart beats (RMSSD) and Total power showed a predictive value for resting Fat oxidation (β = 0.46; β = 0.26), explaining 30% of the variance. Including traditional predictors such as energy expenditure increased explained variance to 57.5%. In this model, RMSSD association disappeared, Total power (β = 0.88) became the strongest predictor, and together with energy expenditure (β = 0.53), showed significant associations with FATox. Respiratory exchange ratio only correlated with RMSSD (β = - 0.54) in the isolated Heart Rate Variability model, without basal metabolic rate associations. Box plots of RMSSD quartiles revealed a difference in fat-oxidation between the highest and lowest quartiles, a pattern not seen for Total power.
Conclusion:
Baroreflex activity and fat oxidation associate at rest in active postmenopausal women with preserved cardiovascular function. Total power emerges as the strongest Heart Rate Variability predictor of baseline Fat oxidation in the multivariable models. Stratification by RMSSD quartiles revealed graded differences in fat oxidation rates across levels of vagal modulation.
Trial Registration:
Clinical Trials, NCT06336070. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06336070 Registered: 4 April 2024.
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