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. 2015 Aug;167(2):378-83.e1.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2015.04.058. Epub 2015 May 23.

Sympathetic Activity Assessed during Exercise Recovery in Young Obese Females

R Lee Franco  1 , Stacey H Privett  2 , Mary K Bowen  2 , Edmund O Acevedo  2 , James A Arrowood  3 , Edmond P Wickham  4 , Ronald K Evans  2
Affiliations

Sympathetic Activity Assessed during Exercise Recovery in Young Obese Females

R Lee Franco et al. J Pediatr. 2015 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate differences in sympathetic activity, as assessed by an exercise recovery index (ERI; heart rate/oxygen consumption [VO2] plateau), between black and white obese female adolescents. An additional aim was to determine the association of ERI with insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR]), cardiovascular fitness per fat-free mass (VO2 per fat-free mass), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and percent body fat (%FAT) in both black and white obese adolescents.

Study design: Sixty-one females volunteered to participate in this study. HOMA-IR, SBP, and %FAT were assessed during resting conditions in black (n = 49, 13.7 ± 1.6 years, 38.1 ± 6.1 kg/m(2)) and white (n = 12, 13.3 ± 2.2 years, 34.3 ± 4.9 kg/m(2)) obese adolescents. An ERI was calculated during a 5-minute passive recovery period immediately following a graded treadmill exercise test to exhaustion.

Results: The ERI was significantly greater in black compared with white obese adolescent females (29.8 ± 6.4 vs 24.1 ± 3.1 bpm·mLO2(-1)·min(-1), P = .004). Using multiple linear regression modeling, there was a significant independent association between ERI and VO2 per fat-free mass (r = -0.310, P = .027) and %FAT (r = 0.326, P = .020) in black obese adolescents after controlling for HOMA-IR and SBP.

Conclusions: These results suggest that black obese adolescent females have greater sympathetic activity, as assessed by an ERI, than white obese adolescent females. These findings support the need for weight management efforts aimed at both reducing %FAT and improving fitness in obese adolescents, specifically black females.

Trial registration: Registered with Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00562293.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative curve of ERI plateau
Figure 2
Figure 2
Exercise Recovery Data between Groups
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relationship between ERI and VO2FFM in Black Adolescent Females
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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