Effect of gender and body mass index on cardiorespiratory parameters after an acute bout of aerobic exercise: A physiology laboratory-based study

Abstract

Background: Exercise testing is a way to assess the cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Conventionally, it has been reported that CRF decreases with an increase in body mass index (BMI). Moreover, there are gender-associated differences in the CRF. However, in the under-equipped physiology laboratory, the results of exercise testing may not produce the ideal results, as it has been accepted traditionally. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the current study was to assess the effect of BMI and gender on the cardiorespiratory parameters after dynamic exercise. The primary objective of the study is to set an example for students to report authentic results rather than making falsified ideal results. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one females and 23 males were involved in the study that was further divided into three groups based on BMI – normal weight, underweight, and overweight. Participants performed a 3-min exercise bout on the cycle ergometer. Cardiorespiratory parameters of each participant were recorded in front of other participants just before and after the exercise by the locally available instruments available in the laboratory. Analysis of variance with post hoc Tukey was applied and P ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Pre-exercise cardiorespiratory study parameters were unaffected by BMI, although males showed a higher resting blood pressure than the females. Post-exercise cardiorespiratory parameters remained unaffected by BMI, but females showed a significantly higher percentage change in post-exercise systolic blood pressure, pulse rate, rate pressure product, and respiratory rate than the males. Conclusion: The results of the present study are far from the traditionally accepted results; however, it has set an example for the budding doctors to report genuine results.