Abstract
Impaired energy efficiency can cause oxidative stress, which can be implicit in inflammatory processes. Although nasal breathing (NB) during exercise may reduce oxidative stress, its effects on metabolic biomarkers related to energy balance and inflammation remain underexplored. PURPOSE: This study examined the acute and chronic effects of exercise with NB or oronasal breathing (OB) on phosphocreatine (PCr), inorganic phosphate (Pi), and PCr/Pi ratio. METHODS: Twenty-two sedentary men (age=21.55±2.58 years) were randomly assigned to either NB (N=11) or OB (N=11) groups. Participants underwent a maximal exercise test on a bike before and after a 4-week exercise intervention and performed a 30-minute moderate-intensity exercise four times per week for four weeks. Blood samples were collected pre- and immediately post-exercise at baseline and after the 4-week intervention. RESULTS: Following the acute bout of exercise, PCr significantly increased from 48.20± 24.01 mmol/L to 61.09±30.77 mmol/L (p=0.001) and the PCr-to-Pi ratio increased from 0.41±0.05 to 0.56±0.06 (p=0.001), whereas Pi decreased from 126.47±7.22 mmol/L to 121.03± 8.50 mmol/L (p=0.001). A significant group by training interaction (p=0.007) indicated that Pi significantly decreased following the acute bout of exercise both at baseline (from 127.80±2.59 to 119.16±3.02 mmol/L, p=0.001) and the 4-week intervention (from 116.71±8.27 to 111.60±7.67 mmol/L, p=0.001) in the NB group, while the OB group decreased Pi (from 131.67±8.27 to 125.45±7.67 mmol/L, p=0.019) only after the 4-week intervention. CONCLUSION: An exercise-induced increase in PCr and the PCr-to-Pi ratio and a decrease in Pi are suggestive of improvement of energy efficiency and decreased oxidative stress. The consistent reduction in Pi observed in the NB group, both before and after the intervention, indicates enhanced metabolic adaptation compared to the OB group. Since the efficiency of energy metabolism is closely tied to redox balance and immune regulation, these bioenergetic improvements may contribute to the modest anti-inflammatory effects observed with NB. Thus, our study suggests that NB may optimize cellular energy turnover during exercise, thereby supporting better inflammatory control and recovery.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Brady; Imran, Tesleem O.; Le, Minh Quan; Moris, Jose M.; and Koh, Yunsuk
(2026)
"Exercise with Nasal Breathing Improved Energy Efficiency and Inflammatory Control,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2:
Iss.
18, Article 83.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss18/83