Short endurance training improves lactate removal ability in patients with heart transplants

Eight male patients with heart transplants at least a year after the operation were submitted to a 6-wk endurance training program and explored for their blood lactate kinetics before and after exercise. The tests consisted of a bicycle exercise upgraded by 20 W every 2 min until volitional fatigue. Training induced a significant (P < 0.025) decrease in lactate concentrations from the 40-W to the 120-W exercise step and a significant increase (P < 0.025) in the time into exercise (9.87 +/- 0.87 min vs 7.17 +/- 0.90 min) at which a lactate concentration of 2 mmol.l-1 was reached. Lactate recovery curves were significantly lower (P < 0.036) after training than before training, except at minutes 1, 2, 8, and 60. The fits of a biexponential mathematical model to the lactate recovery curves reveal a significant (P < 0.036) training-induced increase (+71%) in the slow-velocity constant gamma 2v of the model. In view of the functional meaning given to this parameter, namely the ability to remove lactate, it is concluded that training lowers blood lactate concentrations during exercise and recovery in patients with heart transplants at least in part by raising the efficiency with which lactate is removed, and that the ability to remove lactate can be a valuable criterion to evaluate physical fitness.