Comparative Study on Maximal Oxygen Consumption Capacity and 30-minute Recovery in Korean Male College Students by Body Mass Index Level: A Pilot Study

Abstract

OBJECTIVES Obese people have lower cardiorespiratory fitness and lower maximum oxygen intake during exercise than the healthy population; however, no research has examined the differences between the healthy and obese groups in the recovery period immediately after maximum capacity exercise. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the differences in maximal oxygen consumption, respiratory quotient, ventilatory threshold, heart rate, and energy expenditure according to recovery time for 30 min immediately after measuring maximum capacity exercise based on body mass index (BMI), and to determine the difference in recovery ability between healthy and obese groups.METHODS This study included 24 male college students from K University in Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea, in April 2024. Participants with a body mass index less than 25 kg/m2 were classified into the healthy group (n=14), and those with a body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or higher were classified into the obese group (n=10). After the graded exercise test (maximum capacity exercise), maximal oxygen consumption, respiratory quotient, ventilatory threshold, heart rate, and energy expenditure were measured in real time for a total of 30 minutes in 5-minute increments, including the VO2 max reach time (recovery 0 min). An independent t-test was performed to determine the differences between groups, and the significance level was set at p<0.05.RESULTS There was a significant difference in the maximum oxygen intake at 5, 10, and 15 min during the recovery period (p<0.05); however, there was no statistically significant difference between the healthy and obese groups at the time of reaching maximum capacity (recovery 0 min) and at 20, 25, and 30 min (p>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the respiratory quotient, ventilatory threshold, or energy consumption between the healthy and obese groups at any time point (p>0.05). Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference in heart rate between the healthy and obese groups at any time point (p>0.05), except for a significant difference (p<0.05) at the 5-minute recovery time period.CONCLUSIONS Given that the male college students in their 20s are the most physiologically active in their lives, there was little statistical difference in the physical recovery ability between the healthy and obese groups. A more detailed investigation using participants of various ages, including different disease groups, is needed in the future.