Skeletal muscle oxidative capacity and tissue composition in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
We compared peripheral mechanisms of exercise intolerance in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) patients and healthy older adults. HFpEF patients exhibited significantly greater intermuscular steatosis and impaired whole body and quadriceps oxidative capacity [i.e., peak O 2 uptake (V̇o 2peak ) and phosphocreatine recovery time constant (τPCr), respectively], all of which were associated with impaired exercise tolerance. However, increased intermuscular steatosis was not associated with impaired V̇o 2peak and τPCr, suggesting that steatosis and impaired oxidative capacity affect exercise tolerance through different physiological mechanisms.
Authors
- James P. MacNamara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2795-6021)
- Christopher M. Hearon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6561-3532)
- Denis J. Wakeham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4200-3790)
- Vlad Gabriel Zaha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4878-891X)
- Miles F. Bartlett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7293-4214)
- Satyam Sarma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0628-4919)
- Tiffany L. Brazile (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8215-2144)
- Kevin C. Lutz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6687-0637)
- Mark J. Haykowsky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7217-2747)
- Paul J. Fadel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0115-0743)
- Michael Douglas Nelson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3232-8639)
- Benjamin D. Levine
- Jimin Ren
Institutions
- Inova Health System (US)
- University of Alberta (CA)
- The University of Texas at Arlington (US)
- Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine (US)
- The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Applied Physiology
- Published
- 2026-10-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00683.2026
- Primary Topic
- Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- American Heart Association
- National Institutes of Health