Table 2 Exercise characteristics according to quartiles of peak oxygen pulse in men without CHD or the regular use of β blockers.
| Characteristic | All men | Peak oxygen pulse quartile (ml/beat) | p Value for difference* | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (>17.8) (n = 399) | 2nd (15.8–17.8) (n = 399) | 3rd (13.5–15.7) (n = 399) | 4th (<13.5) (n = 399) | |||
| Maximum V̇o2 (ml/kg/min) | 32.4 (7.4) | 38.3 (7.3) | 33.8 (5.8) | 30.9 (5.3) | 26.4 (5.4) | <0.001 |
| Exercise test duration (min) | 9.6 (2.4) | 11.7 (2.2) | 10.2 (1.6) | 9.2 (1.7) | 7.6 (1.9) | <0.001 |
| Peak RER (V̇co2/V̇o2) | 1.11 (0.13) | 1.09 (0.11) | 1.11 (0.13) | 1.11 (0.14) | 1.12 (0.15) | 0.03 |
| Heart rate reserve (beats/min)† | 101 (21) | 102 (24) | 102 (18) | 101 (19) | 97 (20) | <0.001 |
| Maximum pulmonary ventilation (l/min) | 88.3 (28.2) | 106.3 (28.9) | 92.3 (24.6) | 84.3 (23.3) | 69.6 (21.8) | <0.001 |
| Maximum SBP during exercise (mm Hg) | 207 (26) | 210 (24) | 206 (25) | 206 (27) | 205 (28) | 0.03 |
| Myocardial ischaemia during exercise‡ | 6.8% | 4.9% | 7.9% | 6.4% | 7.6% | 0.31 |
| Dyspnoea or angina pectoris during exercise§ | 3.1% | 1.6% | 2.7% | 3.0% | 5.1% | 0.04 |
| Delayed blood pressure response at exercise¶ | 1.9% | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.7% | 3.4% | 0.10 |
| Energy expenditure of LTPA (kJ/week) | 4057 (4998) | 5939 (6703) | 3737 (4175) | 3469 (4145) | 3116 (3851) | <0.001 |
| Mean intensity of LTPA (METs) | 6.0 (1.8) | 6.6 (1.8) | 6.1 (1.8) | 5.7 (1.7) | 5.5 (1.7) | <0.001 |
Data are mean (SD) or percentage.
*One‐way analysis of variance; †defined as maximum heart rate minus resting heart rate; ‡the criterion for myocardial ischaemia on the ECG during exercise was horizontal or downsloping ST depression ⩾1.0 mm at 80 ms after the J point; §dyspnoea or typical angina pectoris as the reasons for termination of the exercise test; ¶systolic or diastolic blood pressure did not increase or decreased in three consecutive blood pressure measurements during exercise.
LTPA, leisure‐time physical activity; METs, metabolic equivalents of oxygen consumption (a metabolic units is the ratio of metabolic rate during exercise to the metabolic rate at rest); RER, respiratory gas exchange ratio; SBP, systolic blood pressure; V̇co2, carbon dioxide production; V̇o2, oxygen uptake.