Effect of Wearing Compression Garments on Muscle Oxygenation, Glucose Metabolism and Exercise Performance During Prolonged Pedaling

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine effect of wearing compression garments （CG） with different pressure level on muscle oxygenation, glucose metabolism and exercise performance during prolonged pedaling. Ten triathletes （19.9±1.2 years, 172.2±4.4 cm, 62.0±3.8 kg，BMI; 20.9±0.7 kgm^-2; ･VO_2max; 59.3±4.4 mlkg^-1min^-1） completed three trials on different days, consisting of ^1） exercise with wearing CG which exerted high pressure on the thigh （approximately 40 hPa, HIGH） ^2）， exercise with wearing CG which exerted moderate pressure on the thigh （approximately 20 hPa, MED） ^3）， exercise with normal sport garments which exerted low pressure on the thigh （below 10 hPa, CON）．Each trial was performed with randomized orders, and four weeks of washout period were provided between the trials. The exercise consisted 90 min of pedaling at 65% of maximal oxygen uptake （･VO_2max）．Time-courses of changes in heart rate （HR），ratings of perceived exertion （RPE）， oxy-hemoglobin, exogenous glucose utilization （¹³C glucose） and respiratory variables were evaluated during 90 min of pedaling. After completing 90 min of pedaling, time to exhaustion （TTE） test was conducted at 85% of ･VO_2max.

Exercise rapidly increased ¹³C excretion, but highest value of ¹³C excretion was shown earlier in the MED trial （47.1±9.9 min） compared with in the other trials （HIGH trial; 67.3±23.7 min, CON trial; 53.95±9.5 min, P<0.05）．No significant difference was observed for changes in other variables and TTE among the trials. In conclusion, wearing CG which exerted 20 hPa on the thigh facilitated exogenous glucose utilization during 90 min of pedaling.