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Measuring The Energy Of Ventilation And Circulation During Human Walking Using Induced Hypoxia, Masahiro Horiuchi, Yoshiyuki Fukuoka, Yoko Handa, Daijiro Abe, Herman Pontzer

Publications and Research

Energy expenditure (EE) during walking includes energy costs to move and support the body and for respiration and circulation. We measured EE during walking under three different oxygen concentrations. Eleven healthy, young, male lowlanders walked on a treadmill at seven gait speeds (0.67–1.83 m s−1) on a level gradient under normobaric normoxia (room air, 21% O2), moderate hypoxia (15% O2), and severe hypoxia (11% O2). By comparing the hypoxia-induced elevation in heart rate (HR [bpm]), ventilation (VE [L min−1]) with the change in energy expenditure (EE [W]) at each speed, we were able to determine circulatory and respiratory costs. In …