What does the term 'oxygen debt' mean?
a) The amount of extra oxygen your body needs after exercise
b) The amount of extra carbon dioxide your body needs to remove after exercise
c) The amount of extra oxygen your body needs to remove after exercise
d) The amount of extra carbon dioxide your body needs after exercise
The correct answer is c) The amount of extra oxygen your body needs to remove after exercise.
When we exercise, our muscles require more energy, which is produced through a process called cellular respiration. During cellular respiration, glucose is broken down to release energy and produce carbon dioxide and water as byproducts. Oxygen is vital for this process to occur because it is used as the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain, which generates energy.
As we exercise, our breathing rate and heart rate increase to supply more oxygen to our muscles. However, during intense exercise, the demand for oxygen exceeds the supply, and our muscles switch to anaerobic respiration, where glucose is broken down without the use of oxygen. This anaerobic respiration produces lactic acid as a byproduct, which can build up in the muscles and cause fatigue.
After exercise, our bodies must repay the oxygen debt that accumulated during anaerobic respiration. This means that we need extra oxygen to remove the lactic acid produced and ensure that our muscles return to their pre-exercise state. This additional oxygen consumption, even after exercise has ended, is known as oxygen debt. It reflects the amount of oxygen required to restore normal metabolic processes and remove waste products from the muscles.