Impact of aging on the work of breathing during exercise in healthy men
Joshua C. Weavil, Taylor S. Thurston, Thomas J. Hureau, Jayson R. Gifford, Soheil Aminizadeh, Hsuan‐Yu Wan, Robert H. Jenkinson, Markus Amann
Abstract
This study evaluated the impact of aging on the work of breathing ( W b ) during locomotor exercise evoking similar ventilatory rates, metabolic rates, and operating lung volumes in young and older individuals. Mainly because of a greater inspiratory elastic and resistive W b in older participants, total W b was higher during exercise at any given ventilatory and metabolic rate with aging. However, this age-related difference was abolished during exercise evoking similar operating lung volumes in both age groups. These findings highlight the significance of lung volumes in determining the age-related difference in total W b .