Abstract
β carotene was administered to and exercise was prescribed for healthy Japanese men and women(n=7)for one month ; and their effects on blood pressure, hemodynamics, cardiopulmonary functions, and the results of hematological tests were comparatively examined. The results were : 1)β carotene administration reduced the following with statistical significance : systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, myocardial load index, heart rate, skin temperature at the dorsum of the hand, serum lipid peroxide level, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. On the other hand, respiratory quotient and serum total cholesterol level increased with statistical significance. 2)Exercise loading resulted in an increase with statistical significance in the following : maximum ventilation, oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, skin temperature at the dorsum of the hand, METS, work load, and serum free fatty acid content. On the other hand, alveolar carbon dioxide partial pressure at maximum oxygen uptake and serum LDH, ChE, alpha HBD, and Mg levels were reduced.
