Acid-base balance during exercise

Acid-base balance during exercise

Acid-base balance during exercise

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Acid-Base Basics - The pH Drop Zone

  • Resting Arterial pH: Maintained tightly at ~7.4.
  • Intense Exercise: Can cause a drop to 7.0 or lower (metabolic acidosis).
  • Primary Proton ($H^+$) Source: High rates of ATP hydrolysis and glycolysis overwhelm buffering systems.
    • Major reaction: $ATP + H_2O \rightarrow ADP + P_i + H^+$
  • Key Buffer System: Bicarbonate system works to neutralize acid.
    • $H^+ + HCO_3^- \leftrightarrow H_2CO_3 \leftrightarrow H_2O + CO_2$ (expired by lungs).

⭐ The primary source of proton ($H^+$) accumulation during supramaximal exercise is not lactic acid production itself, but rather the hydrolysis of ATP.

Buffering Systems - The Body's Buffering Brigade

  • Primary Defense: Neutralizes the ↑ in $H^+$ from lactic acid and $CO_2$ during exercise, preventing drastic pH drops.
  • Major Players:
    • Bicarbonate System (Extracellular): The workhorse.
      • Equation: $H^+ + HCO_3^- \leftrightarrow H_2CO_3 \leftrightarrow H_2O + CO_2$
      • Lactic acid's $H^+$ is buffered by $HCO_3^-$; the resulting $CO_2$ is blown off by the lungs, a key compensatory mechanism.
    • Phosphate System (Intracellular & Renal):
      • Equation: $H^+ + HPO_4^{2-} \leftrightarrow H_2PO_4^-$
    • Protein Buffers (Intracellular):
      • Hemoglobin: A major buffer within RBCs. Deoxyhemoglobin is a stronger proton acceptor.
      • 📌 Haldane Effect: Deoxygenation of Hb at tissues ↑ its ability to buffer $H^+$.

⭐ At the onset of high-intensity exercise, the bicarbonate buffer system provides the most critical and immediate defense against metabolic acidosis from lactate.

Compensation Mechanisms - Lungs & Kidneys to the Rescue

  • Lungs (Rapid Response): The primary, immediate defense against exercise-induced acidosis.

    • Peripheral chemoreceptors detect ↑$H^+$ & ↑$K^+$.
    • Stimulates hyperventilation to "blow off" $CO_2$.
    • Shifts bicarbonate buffer system left: $H^+ + HCO_3^- \leftarrow H_2CO_3 \leftarrow H_2O + CO_2\uparrow$
    • This lowers $P_{a}CO_2$, partially compensating for the metabolic acidosis.
  • Kidneys (Slow, Sustained Response): Crucial for long-term balance, but slow (hours to days).

    • ↑ Excretion of $H^+$ (as $NH_4^+$ and titratable acids).
    • ↑ Reabsorption of filtered bicarbonate ($HCO_3^-$).

⭐ During maximal exercise, respiratory compensation is almost immediate. The point at which ventilation increases disproportionately to oxygen consumption is the ventilatory threshold (VT), a key marker of the onset of significant metabolic acidosis.

Lactate & Fatigue - Hitting the Wall

  • During intense exercise, ATP demand outstrips aerobic capacity, forcing reliance on anaerobic glycolysis.
  • This pathway rapidly generates ATP but also produces lactate and hydrogen ions ($H^+$).
    • $Glucose \rightarrow 2 Pyruvate \rightarrow 2 Lactate + 2 H^+$
  • $H^+$ accumulation causes metabolic acidosis, lowering intramuscular pH.
  • Consequences of ↓ pH:
    • Inhibits key glycolytic enzymes (e.g., phosphofructokinase-1).
    • Reduces Ca²⁺ sensitivity of troponin C, impairing muscle contraction and force.
  • This metabolic shift is a primary driver of peripheral fatigue or "hitting the wall."

Lactate curves before and after training

⭐ The Cori Cycle allows lactate produced in muscle to be transported to the liver and converted back into glucose (gluconeogenesis), providing a sustainable fuel source.

  • High-intensity exercise causes metabolic acidosis, primarily from ↑ proton (H⁺) production during anaerobic glycolysis, not lactate itself.
  • The body's main defense is ventilatory compensation; ↑ breathing blows off CO₂ to raise systemic pH.
  • The bicarbonate buffer system is the key extracellular buffer; plasma HCO₃⁻ levels ↓ as it consumes H⁺.
  • The lactate threshold marks the exercise intensity where lactate production outpaces clearance, causing a rapid pH drop.
  • Intracellularly, phosphates and proteins like carnosine act as crucial muscle buffers.

Practice Questions: Acid-base balance during exercise

Test your understanding with these related questions

A 24-year-old professional athlete is advised to train in the mountains to enhance his performance. After 5 months of training at an altitude of 1.5 km (5,000 feet), he is able to increase his running pace while competing at sea-level venues. Which of the following changes would produce the same effect on the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve as this athlete's training did?

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Flashcards: Acid-base balance during exercise

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What non-volatile acid may be elevated with strenuous exercise? _____

TAP TO REVEAL ANSWER

What non-volatile acid may be elevated with strenuous exercise? _____

Lactic acid

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