The Effect of Body Mass Index on Acute Cardiometabolic Responses to Graded Exercise Testing in Children: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Although the beneficial role of exercise for health is widely recognized, it is not clear to what extent the acute physiological responses (e.g., heart rate (HR) and oxygen uptake (VO₂)) to a graded exercise test are influenced by nutritional status (i.e., overweight vs. normal-weight). Therefore, the main objectives of the present narrative review were to examine the effect of nutritional status on acute HR, and VO₂ responses of children to exercise testing. For this purpose, we examined existing literature using PubMed, ISI, Scopus, and Google Scholar search engines. Compared with their normal-body mass index (BMI) peers, a trend of higher HR_rest, higher HR during submaximal exercise testing, and lower HR_max was observed among overweight and obese children (according to BMI). Independent from exercise mode (walking, running, cycling, or stepping), exercise testing was metabolically more demanding (i.e., higher VO₂) for obese and overweight children than for their normal-weight peers. Considering these cardiometabolic differences according to BMI in children might help exercise specialists to evaluate the outcome of a graded exercise test (GXT) (e.g., VO_2max, HR_max) and to prescribe optimal exercise intensity in the context of development of exercise programs for the management of body mass.

Keywords: body fat; cardiac rate; cycling; exercise intensity; heart rate; metabolism; overweight; respiratory quotient; resting metabolic rate.

Figure 1

Maximal oxygen uptake in absolute values in normal-weight/non-obese and overweight/obese children. * p < 0.05; study’s first author name is presented in x axis; G = girls; B = boys; BMI = body mass index; BF = body fat percentage.

Figure 2

Maximal oxygen uptake in relative values in normal-weight/non-obese and overweight/obese children. * p < 0.05; study’s first author name is presented in x axis; G = girls; B = boys.