Effect of physical training on the capacity to secrete epinephrine M. Kjaer and H. Galbo +Author Affiliations 1.
Department of Medical Physiology B, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Abstract Epinephrine responses to hypoglycemia and to identical relative work loads have been shown to be higher in endurance-trained athletes than in untrained subjects.To test the hypothesis that training increases the adrenal medullary secretory capacity, we studied the effects of glucagon (1 mg/70 kg iv), acute hypercapnia (inspired O2 fraction = 7%), and acute hypobaric hypoxia (inspired Po2 = 87 Torr), respectively, on the epinephrine concentration in arterialized hand vein blood in eight endurance-trained athletes [T, O2 uptake = 66 (62-70) ml. min-1. kg-1] and seven sedentary males [C, O2 uptake = 46 (41-50)].In response to identical increments in glucagon concentrations, plasma epinephrine increased more in T than in C subjects [0.
87 +/- 0. 11 vs. 0. 38 +/- 0. 14 (SE) nmol/l, P less than 0.
05]. In response to hypercapnia [arterial PCO2 = 56 +/- 0. 7 Torr (T) and 55 +/- 0. 4 (C), P greater than 0. 05], the increment in epinephrine was significant in T (0.
38 +/- 0. 11 nmol/l) but not (P less than 0. 1) in C subjects (0. 22 +/- 0.
11). Hypoxia [arterial PO2 = 42 +/- 2 Torr (T) and 41 +/- 2 (C), P greater than 0. 5] increased epinephrine in T (0. 22 +/- 0.
10 nmol/l, P less than 0. 05) but not in C subjects (0. 01 +/- 0. 07). The plasma norepinephrine concentration never changed, whereas heart rate always increased, the increase being higher (P less than 0.
05) in T than in C subjects only during hypercapnia. The results indicate that training increases the capacity to secrete epinephrine. • Copyright © 1988 the American Physiological Society http://jap. physiology. org/content/64/1/11.
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