Prediction
The purpose of my experiment was to prove that the null hypothesis was incorrect, and that there is a significant difference in the VO2 max after training at altitude. In order for VO2 max to increase, there must be an increase in oxygen carrying pigments, therefore I predict that there will be an increase in the production of red cells.
Before I carry out the experiment I will talk about factors that affect fitness. In this experiment fitness is aerobic fitness. Firstly we must look at the oxygen carrying pigment in relation to altitude.
Hemoglobin is a red pigment in red blood cells that can bind with oxygen. This protein is responsible for binding oxygen in the lung and transporting the oxygen throughout the body to be used up in aerobic metabolic system pathways. Hemoglobin is a protein made up of four polypeptide subunits, as seen in the picture above. Within each one of these subunits is a heme group. A heme group is an iron-containing ring structure that has the ability to bind to oxygen. Each hemoglobin protein can bind to four oxygen molecules - one oxygen molecule for each heme group.
In order to function most efficiently, hemoglobin needs to bind to oxygen tightly in the oxygen-rich atmosphere of the lungs and be able to release oxygen rapidly in the relatively oxygen-poor environment of the tissues.
A hemoglobin molecule consists of four polypeptide chains, two alpha chains each with 141 amino acids and two beta chains each with 146 amino acids. The protein portion of these chains are called the ‘globin’.
The ability for hemoglobin to release oxygen is affected by pH, CO2 and by the differences in the oxygen-rich environment of the lungs and the oxygen-poor environment in the muscles and tissues. The pH in the tissues is significantly lower than in the lungs.
This increased acidity provides a double purpose. First, protons lower the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen, allowing easier release into the tissues. As all four oxygen are released, hemoglobin binds to two protons. This is known as the Bohr Effect, and is vital in the removal of carbon dioxide as waste because CO2 is insoluble in the bloodstream. This process will be more efficient if there’s more hemoglobin in the blood, which is increased during altitude training.The partial pressure of oxygen in the blood will be greater than the partial pressure of CO2 as there’s more hemoglobin to it. More CO2 will also be removed from the body by the hemoglobin and this will delay the lactate pathway or anaerobic respiration from occurring, less muscle fatigue.
There are many other factors apart from increased hemoglobin, which help to increase VO2 max at altitude.
The most obvious factor is the bodys ability to increase the the number of red blood cells in the body. This occurs as the O2 at altitude is less than O2 at sea-level. This will increase the chances of hemoglobin binding to oxygen so that it can release it to working muscles. This will also increase the rate of respiration in the mitochondria to provide the ATP for working muscles. Muscle cells that are contracting have high demands for ATP. So it follows that they will consume more oxygen during exercise. To receive this oxygen and use it to make ATP for muscle contraction, our muscle fibers are absolutely dependent on 2 things,1.an external delivery system to bring oxygen from the atmosphere to the working muscle cells, and 2. mitochondria to carryout the process of aerobic energy transfer.. Other roles that oxygen has in the mitochondria is that, it binds to an electron and hydrogen to produce water, so that the body will not be dehydrated.
Nutrition is also important at altitude. Dehydration is a result of thirst, rapid glycogen depletion, weight and water loss. Dehydration may intensify as a result of altitude sickness and even lowers food intakes. Research shows that the best food to consume is carbohydrate. Carbohydrates replace depleted muscle glycogen stores, prevent protein from being used as energy, and require less oxygen for metabolism. A high carbohydrate diet can reduce the onset and severity of altitude sickness improves physical performance. A low carbohydrate diet can result in low blood sugar which causes disorientation and lack of coordination. These conditions can be extremely dangerous when combined with oxygen deficiency. Dehydration can be prevented by consuming 3 to 4 liters of water per day and about 200grams of carbohydrate. Athletes with average iron stores might suffer during the early days at altitude because hard training accelerates RBC production which could drain already limited iron stores. Any new red cells will have low hemoglobin content and will not function properly.
