From the Guidelines
Supplemental oxygen therapy has a limited therapeutic effect on athletes, particularly those without severe exercise-induced hypoxemia.
Key Points
- The use of supplemental oxygen during exercise training in patients with severe exercise-induced hypoxemia is recommended, with a grade of recommendation of 1C 1.
- In patients without exercise-induced hypoxemia, administering supplemental oxygen during high-intensity exercise programs may improve gains in exercise endurance, but the grade of recommendation is 2C 1.
- Studies have shown that oxygen supplementation can improve exercise tolerance and reduce breathlessness in individuals with COPD, even in those with mild hypoxemia or exercise oxygen desaturation 2.
- However, the evidence for the use of oxygen supplementation as an adjunct to exercise training in non-hypoxemic individuals is inconsistent, and individualized oxygen titration trials may be necessary to identify responders 2.
- The American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society statement on pulmonary rehabilitation suggests that oxygen supplementation as an adjunct to exercise training has been tested in two distinct populations: those with and those without exercise-induced hypoxemia, with varying results 3, 4.
Important Considerations
- The decision to use supplemental oxygen therapy in athletes should be based on individual assessment and response to exercise-induced desaturation.
- The potential benefits of supplemental oxygen therapy must be weighed against the costs and practical considerations of its use.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the effects of supplemental oxygen therapy on exercise performance and outcomes in athletes.
From the Research
Therapeutic Effect of Supplemental Oxygen on Athletes
- There is limited research on the therapeutic effect of supplemental oxygen on athletes, with most studies focusing on its use in medical conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial lung disease (ILD) 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
- A study on patients with advanced progressive illness found that supplemental oxygen during exercise improved dyspnea in patients without resting hypoxemia, but had no significant effect on other subgroups 6.
- Another study on patients with COPD found that exercise training with supplemental oxygen had a limited impact on submaximal exercise performance, with improvements in exercise tolerance and capacity attributed to the exercise training itself rather than the supplemental oxygen 9.
- The use of supplemental oxygen in athletes is not well-studied, and its potential benefits and risks are not fully understood 5, 8.
- More research is needed to determine the therapeutic effect of supplemental oxygen on athletes and to inform its use in this population 7, 9.