An investigation into the relationship between heart rate variability and the ventilatory threshold in healthy moderately trained males. (4th May 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Grannell, Andrew; De Vito, Giuseppe
• Is Part Of: Clinical physiology and functional imaging. Volume 38:Number 3(2018:May)
• Page Start: 455
• Page End: 461
• Publication Date: 2017-05-04
• Subjects: autonomic nervous system -- exercise prescription -- gas exchange threshold; Physiology, Pathological -- Periodicals; Diagnostic imaging -- Periodicals; 612
• DOI: 10.1111/cpf.12437
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1475-0961

Abstract

Summary : Background: During incremental exercise, heart rate variability (HRV) has been shown to display distinct stabilization and inflection points, which have been used to indirectly detect the ventilatory threshold (VT). Methods: Ten moderately trained males (26·5 ± 5·9 years: VO2peak 48·7 ± 4·1 ml min −1 kg −1 ) performed an incremental test on a cycle ergometer until volitional exhaustion with both R‐R intervals and respiratory indices recorded. HRV was quantified using both nonlinear (Poincare plot; short‐term variability SD1) and spectral analysis of the R‐R intervals (high‐frequency component; HFp). The VT was identified using the V‐slope method. The relationship between HRV parameters and the VT was assessed using both a paired t ‐test and Pearson's product correlation. In addition, Bland and Altman plots were used to quantify the mean difference along with a 95% confidence interval. Results: When expressed as the corresponding heart rate values, both the SD1 and the HFp stabilization points revealed a strong ( r = 0·86 and 0·087, respectively) correlation with the VT. However, only for SD1 this relationship was different to the VT ( t ‐test). The Bland–Altman plots supported these findings showing wide limits of agreement present for SD1 and the VT whilst the relationship between HFp and the VT revealed narrower limits. Conclusion: There does not appear to be a relationship present between the VT and the SD1 stabilization point in moderately trained healthy males, whereas the HFp stabilization point revealed a strong relationship with the VT when expressed as heart rate.