Normobaric Hypoxia Preserves Skeletal Muscle Oxidative Capacity but Impairs Microvascular Responsiveness Following Short-Duration, Low-Intensity Exercise

Introduction

Skeletal muscle oxidative capacity can be influenced by oxygen availability, yet the specific impact of reduced microvascular oxygen pressure during submaximal exercise remains unclear. Prior work using blood flow occlusion to reduce oxygen availability suggests that low tissue saturation impairs muscle oxygen consumption recovery kinetics, though metabolite accumulation may confound these findings. Therefore, the purpose was to compare skeletal muscle oxidative capacity in a normoxic and hypoxic environment.