Leg blood flow during exercise in man in relation to muscle fibre composition

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Abstract
Fiber composition in the vastus lateralis muscle, leg blood flow, O2 uptake and respiratory exchange ratio were determined in 12 healthy male volunteers during submaximal exercise (50% of .ovrhdot.VO2 max). The percentage of slow-twitch fibers varied from 26-66. Mean leg blood flow during exercise was 4.68 .+-. 0.19 l.cntdot.min-1. The blood flow and respiratory exchange ratio correlated positively to the percentage of slow-twitch fibers in the vastus muscles. No correlation was found between the muscle fiber composition and O2 uptake heart rate or mechanical efficiency. The results with a dependence of muscle blood flow and CO2 release to muscle fiber composition support the view that the arrangement of the vascular bed and blood supply differ between fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers in humans.