(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2006-03) De Bie, Gabrielle; Myburgh, Kathryn H.; Essop, M. Faadiel; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Science. Dept. of Physiological Sciences.
The responses of central systems to oxygen deprivation have been well characterised while adaptations in peripheral systems, such as skeletal muscles, have presented confounding variations. Several reasons for these discrepancies are purported, amongst them being the duration of exposure to hypoxia and variations in fibre composition. Moreover, in real-life high altitude situations there may be a combination of factors which have the ability to modify or alter the effect of hypoxia. This study investigates the effect of short duration hypoxia per se on substrate utilisation in different types of skeletal muscles.