Fluid and electrolyte shifts during bed rest with isometric and isotonic exercise

It is difficult to separate the effects of reduction in hydrostatic pressure from that of reduced energy expenditure when investigating the confinement deconditioning problem. Experiments were conducted on seven healthy young men aged 19-21 yr with the purpose of separating these two factors by using isotonic physical exercise during bed rest to provide a daily energy expenditure greater than normal ambulatory levels. Fluid and electrolyte shifts were measured during three two-week bed rest periods, each of which being separated by a three-week ambulatory recovery period. During two of the three bed rest periods they performed isometric and isotonic exercises to compare their effects on fluid and electrolyte shifts during bed rest. It is shown that during bed rest, preservation of the extracellular volume takes precedence over maintenance of the plasma volume and that this mechanism is independent of the effects of isometric or isotonic exercise.