Maximal Lipid oxidation in paralympic winter athletes with locomotor impairments

The present study is aimed at assessing lipid oxidation (LO) at rest and during arm cranking ergometer (ACE) steady-state exercises carried out at different sub-maximal intensities in Paralympic winter athletes (PA) with locomotor impairments to evaluate maximal LO (FATmax). We evaluated the hypothesis that PA with spinal cord injury (PA-SCI) have a lower FATmax than PA with other locomotor impairment (PA-OLI). Thirty-one male PA, including 11 PA-SCI and 20 PA-OLI with similar characteristics (age 33±13.19 and 37.37±8.07 years old, height 1.75±0.12 and 1.76±0.07 m; mass, 66.55±9.83 and 73±6.91kg, oxygen uptake peak- VO2peak, 41.3±9.26 and 37.5±4.39 ml kg -1 min-1, respectively) gave an informed consent to participate to the study. All PA were tested both at rest (Canopy Hood, Cosmed, Italy) and during three sub-maximal constant power ACE (E800, Cosmed, Italy) exercise tests (S-CPE) at intensities equal to ~30%, 50% and 70% of VO2 reserve (VO2R), through a breath by breath metabolic cart (Quark CPET, Cosmed, Italy) to assess FATmax. LO was calculated from VO2 and VCO2 using the stoichiometric equation of Frayn. No differences between PA-SCI and PA-OLI were found in FATmax equal to 232±91.8 and 231±90 mg•min-1, respectively, and found at a VO2R equal to 58±16.4% and 54±19.4%, respectively. PA-SCI and PA-OLI have similar values of fat oxidation and therefore similar glucose metabolism during exercise. High level of aerobic fitness in individuals with SCI plays a protective role in cardiovascular risk.