Voluntary breath-holding duration in healthy subjects with obesity: Role of peripheral chemosensitivity to carbon dioxide

Abstract

ObjectiveThe present study aimed to explore the peripheral chemoreflex sensitivity in healthy subjects with high body mass index (BMI). MethodsWe studied 26 healthy men with obesity and 23 healthy men without obesity. All participants performed the breath-holding test in the morning, and the single-breath carbon dioxide (SB-CO2) test on the next day. ResultsThe sensitivity of peripheral chemoreceptors to CO2 did not differ between two groups (P = .47). In contrast, the duration of breath-holding was significantly lower in participants with elevated BMI (40.6 ± 10.5 s versus 47.2 ± 8.7 s; P < .05). In the multifactor regression model, only differences in waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and SB-CO2 remained statistically significant (R2 for the model = 0.62, P < .001). ConclusionsThe sensitivity of peripheral chemoreflex to CO2 was preserved in healthy men with obesity. The higher sensitivity of peripheral chemoreflex to CO2 and higher WHR were associated with a decrease in the duration of voluntary apnea in subjects with obesity.