Increased lipid oxidation during exercise in obese pubertal girls: a QUALITY study

Abstract

Objective: This study explores differences in LO rates between pre-pubertal and pubertal girls of three body weight status groups.

Methods: The sample included 39 pre-pubertal girls [12 normal-weight (NW), 12 overweight (OW), and 15 obese (OB)] and 37 pubertal girls [16 NW, 10 OW, and 11 OB]. Following a rest period, the girls performed a graded maximal cycling test. The %LO contribution was computed at each stage.

Results: The %LO contribution did not differ between NW, OW, or OB pre-pubertal girls at each exercise stage. In contrast, pubertal OB girls showed a statistically significantly higher %LO contribution at 25, 50, and 75 W stages compared with OW and NW as well as with OB pre-pubertal girls.

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that entering puberty is a period associated with differentiation in substrate selection in obese girls. A higher %LO contribution may help girls to solicit more fat while performing submaximal exercise.