Metabolic acidosis and changes in water and electrolyte balance after maximal exercise

The purpose of this investigation was to study lactate production and the consequent changes in acid-base status, and in water and electrolyte balance, in response to 1 min of maximal exercise in sprint- and endurance-trained subjects. So far, the results from only two subjects (one sprinter and one marathon runner) have been analysed. The rate of lactate production was higher in the sprinter than in the marathon runner, as shown by peak blood lactate concentrations of 20.8 and 13.3 mM for the two subjects, respectively. Arterial blood pH fell from 7.43 to 7.14 in the sprinter and from 7.44 to 7.23 for the marathon runner. The metabolic acidosis was partly compensated for by a lowering of arterial CO2 tension by 0.0775 kPa per 1 mM drop in base excess. In each subject large changes in water and electrolyte balance occurred. Haematocrit increased dramatically in both subjects, and the calculated decrease in plasma volume was 20% for the marathon runner and 30% for the sprinter. In each subject sodium was removed from the circulation in amounts sufficient to keep the plasma sodium concentration constant. Plasma potassium concentration was unrelated to the state of acidosis, being 2.5 mM above the resting concentration immediately after maximal exercise, and dropping by 3 mM in the subsequent 2-3 min of recovery during prevailing acidosis. The degree of lactic acidosis was large in both subjects, although more severe in the sprinter than in the endurance runner. However, buffer capacity and compensatory mechanisms were largely similar in both subjects.