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Limb, sex, but not acute dietary capsaicin, modulate the near-infrared spectroscopy-vascular occlusion test estimate of muscle metabolism.

  • 2024-03
  • Physiological reports 12(6)
    • Lauren M Greaves
    • Kendall S Zaleski
    • Alexs A Matias
    • Abena O Gyampo
    • Gaia Giuriato
    • Meaghan Lynch
    • Brian Lora
    • Tawn Tomasi
    • Emma Basso
    • Emma Finegan
    • Jack Schickler
    • Massimo Venturelli
    • Justin A DeBlauw
    • Elena Shostak
    • Oliver E Blum
    • Stephen J Ives

Study Design

Type
Clinical Trial
Sample size
n = 25
Population
Young healthy men (n=25, 21±4 years) and women (n=20, 20±1 years)
Methods
Ingested either placebo or capsaicin, in a counterbalanced, single-blind, crossover design after which a simplified NIRS-VOT was conducted to determine the DeO2 (%/s), as an estimate of oxidative muscle metabolism, in both the forearm (flexors) and thigh (vastus lateralis)
Blinding
Single-blind
Duration
Acute; single visit after ingestion
Funding
Unclear
The downward slope during the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-vascular occlusion test (NIRS-VOT) is purported as a simplified estimate of metabolism. Whether or not the NIRS-VOT exhibits sex- or limb-specificity or may be acutely altered remains to be elucidated. Thus, we investigated if there is limb- or sex specificity in tissue desaturation rates (DeO2) during a NIRS-VOT, and if acute dietary capsaicin may alter this estimate of muscle metabolism. Young healthy men (n = 25, 21 ± 4 years) and women (n = 20, 20 ± 1 years) ingested either placebo or capsaicin, in a counterbalanced, single-blind, crossover design after which a simplified NIRS-VOT was conducted to determine the DeO2 (%/s), as an estimate of oxidative muscle metabolism, in both the forearm (flexors) and thigh (vastus lateralis). There was a significant limb effect with the quadriceps having a greater DeO2 than the forearm (-2.31 ± 1.34 vs. -1.78 ± 1.22%/s, p = 0.007, ηp2 = 0.19). There was a significant effect of sex on DeO2 (p = 0.005, ηp2 = 0.203) with men exhibiting a lesser DeO2 than women (-1.73 ± 1.03 vs. -2.36 ± 1.32%/s, respectively). This manifested in significant interactions of limb*capsaicin (p = 0.001, ηp2 = 0.26) as well as limb*capsaicin*sex on DeO2 (p = 0.013, ηp2 = 0.16) being observed. Capsaicin does not clearly alter O2-dependent muscle metabolism, but there was apparent limb and sex specificity, interacting with capsaicin in this NIRS-derived assessment.

Research Insights

  • Chili Pepper→Reduced Muscle Deoxygenation Rate

    Capsaicin does not clearly alter O2-dependent muscle metabolism, but there was apparent limb and sex specificity, interacting with capsaicin in this NIRS-derived assessment.

    Effect
    Neutral
    Effect size
    Small
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