Dose-response relationship between exercise load and mitochondrial function
Flockhart M, Nilsson L, Bergman K, Apro W, Ekblom B, Larsen FJ
A dose-dependent relationship exists between exercise load and muscular adaptation. Mitochondria adapt to the increased ATP-demand by alterations in mass and/or quality. How mitochondrial mass and quality changes as a function of exercise load is not well investigated and we have previously found mitochondrial dysfunction after short-term intensive exercise. We therefore aimed to study mitochondrial function by altering exercise load during a three week interval training regimen to understand the dose-response relationship between exercise load and mitochondrial function. We took four muscle biopsies throughout the study, and as expected, mitochondrial function was positively affected during the first two weeks. After the third week, a dramatic mitochondrial dysfunction was evident as mitochondrial intrinsic respiration was reduced by 26% despite a 32% increase in mitochondrial yield. We hereby present evidence of a striking exercise-induced reduction in mitochondrial function after a period of very intense interval training.