The DOI matches its Crossref record.
Maximal Fat Oxidation During Exercise in Trained Men
Abstract
Fat oxidation increases from low to moderate exercise intensities and decreases from moderate to high exercise intensities. Recently, a protocol has been developed to determine the exercise intensity, which elicits maximal fat oxidation rates (Fat(max)). The main aim of the present study was to establish the reliability of the estimation of Fat(max) using this protocol (n = 10). An additional aim was to determine Fat(max) in a large group of endurance-trained individuals (n = 55). For the assessment of reliability, subjects performed three graded exercise tests to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer. Tests were performed after an overnight fast and diet and exercise regime on the day before all tests were similar. Fifty-five male subjects performed the graded exercise test on one occasion. The typical error (root mean square error and CV) for Fat(max) and Fat(min) was 0.23 and 0.33 l O(2) x min(-1) and 9.6 and 9.4 % respectively. Maximal fat oxidation rates of 0.52 +/- 0.15 g x min(-1) were reached at 62.5 +/- 9.8 % VO(2)max, while Fat(min) was located at 86.1 +/- 6.8 % VO(2)max. When the subjects were divided in two groups according to their VO(2)max, the large spread in Fat(max) and maximal fat oxidation rates remained present. The CV of the estimation of Fat(max) and Fa(min) is 9.0 - 9.5 %. In the present study the average intensity of maximal fat oxidation was located at 63 % VO(2)max. Even within a homogeneous group of subjects, there was a relatively large inter-individual variation in Fat(max) and the rate of maximal fat oxidation.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“It has been shown that the maximal rate of fat oxidation occurs at intensities of ≈65% VO2max [163]”
From Regulation of Energy Substrate Metabolism in Endurance Exercise (2021) · cites this paper as [163]
In the citing paper
“The prolonged durations and slower relative running speeds that characterize ultra-marathon appear, therefore, to permit increased rates of fat oxidation for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) re-synthesis [100].”
From International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: nutritional considerations for single-stage ultra-marathon training and racing (2019) · cites this paper as [100]
Citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 201–253 of 253
Alahmadi, M. A. (2011) · Faculty of Health; Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation · Cited by 1
Nutritional Considerations for Performance and Rehabilitation
Matthews, H., & Matthews, M. J. (2010) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781118685150.ch14 · Cited by 1
Waldman, H. S. (2019) · Mississippi State University · doi:10.54718/wwdo1938 · Cited by 1
Gray, E. L. (2019) · University of Birmingham Institutional Research Archive (University of Birmingham) · Cited by 1
Hamzah, S. H. (2011) · Enlighten: Theses (The University of Glasgow)
Factors affecting fat oxidation in exercise
Randell, R. K. (2013) · University of Birmingham Institutional Research Archive (University of Birmingham)
Metcalfe, R. S. (2015) · The University of Bath Online Publications Store (The University of Bath) · doi:10.13140/rg.2.1.4944.0088
Vittori, L. N., Manners, D. N., Belli, G., Corazza, I., & Latessa, P. M. (2015) · Journal of Mechanics in Medicine and Biology · doi:10.1142/s0219519415400382
The Effects of Leucine on Fatty Acid Oxidation in Chronically Active Males
Csanadi, C. D. (2012)
during exercise in children and adolescents The endocrine response and substrate utilization
Riddell, M. C., Inskip, H. M., Cooper, C. C., Wareham, N. J., Ekelund, U., Collings, P. J., Brage, S., Ridgway, C. L., Harvey, N. C., Armstrong, N., et al. (2015)
Salmi, U. (2007) · Jyväskylä University Digital Archive (University of Jyväskylä)
Mobilization and Utilization of Lipids during Dietary Restriction Conditions
Bouhlel, E., & Shephard, R. J. (2015) · CRC Press eBooks · doi:10.1201/b18820-5
Angba, T. O. (2016) · Journals & Books Hosting (International Knowledge Sharing Platform)
Peak Fat Oxidation Rates in Males with Obesity during Treadmill Walking With Body Weight Support
LaSala, T. T., Zipp, G. P., DeBari, V. A., & Figueroa, M. A. (2015)
Moulongo, J. G. A., Alphonse, M., Okemba, J. I., Nella, M. K. F., & Bernard, P. T. (2017) · Journal of Biosciences and Medicines · doi:10.4236/jbm.2017.57007
“To oxidize maximum of lipids, the literature reveals that intensity’s effort ranging between 31% and 63% of oxygen maximum uptake (VO2 max) must be generally carried out [3] [4] [5].”
BackgroundReliability and Day-to-day Variability of Peak Fat Oxidation During Treadmill Ergometry
Silveira, R. D. S., Carlsohn, A., Langen, G., Otto, C., Hain, G., & Mayer, F. (2014) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/01.mss.0000495366.44163.28
Silveira, R. D. S. (2017) · Nutrition & Food Science International journal · doi:10.19080/nfsij.2017.02.555599
“For instance, the study group of Achten [13,14] reported higher rates of fat oxidation during running compared to cycling.”
BackgroundResultThe Acute Effect of a Single Exhaustive Sprint Exercise Session on Post-Exercise Fat Oxidation Rate
Aslankeser, Z., & Balcı, Ş. S. (2018) · Biomedical Human Kinetics · doi:10.1515/bhk-2018-0018
LaSala, T. T. (2018) · International Journal of Applied Science and Technology · doi:10.30845/ijast.v8n4p1
An exploration into the proteins that regulate skeletal muscle lipid metabolism
Whytock, K. L. (2021) · Liverpool John Moores University · doi:10.24377/ljmu.t.00009962
Ranzani, D. B. (2011) · Revista Brasileira de Fisiologia do Exercício · doi:10.33233/rbfe.v10i1.3419
Tabata, H., Kim, H.-K., Konishi, M., Endo, N., & Sakamoto, S. (2019) · doi:10.34363/jocp.49.5_191
Physical Activity and Endurance Training Modalities: Evidences and Perspectives
Malatesta, D., Fanari, P., Salvadori, A., & Lanzi, S. (2020) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-32274-8_1
Spriet, L. L. (2020) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781003123835-2
LaSala, T. T., Cola, J. L., Figueroa, M. A., Emmons, R. R., & Hack, D. (2020) · International Journal of Applied Science and Technology · doi:10.30845/ijast.v10n4p2
Cold Stress Induced a Higher Level of Fat Oxidation in Women
Niu, X., Han, P., Tang, Z., Huang, J., Li, L., He, H., Zhang, W., Zhao, L., & Zhao, L. (2021) · The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research · doi:10.1519/jsc.0000000000004160
“In addition, Achten suggested that long-term training at Fatmax increases the ability to oxidize fatty acids, leading to the improvement in endurance performance (2).”
BackgroundDesroches, A. J., Domingue, F., Laurencelle, L., & Lajoie, C. (2021) · Baltic Journal of Sport and Health Sciences · doi:10.33607/bjshs.v3i122.1110
“…oxidations were calculated using the following stoichiometric equations, which take into account that the urinary nitrogen excretion is negligible (Achten & Jeukendrup, 2003; Bossi et al., 2019; Péronnet & Massicotte, 1991): Fat oxidation (g/min) = 1.67 × V̇ O2 – 1.67 × V̇ CO2 CHO oxidation…”
MethodInfluentialKaewpaluk, P., Kulaputana, O., & Sanguanrungsirikul, S. (2021) · Trends in Sciences · doi:10.48048/tis.2021.394
“In addition, highly trained individuals showed more fat oxidation than moderately trained individuals [41].”
BackgroundFernström, M. (2006) · Figshare
Analysis of energy expenditure of skiers across the preparatory phase
Андреевна, Б. Е. (2021) · doi:10.34014/mpphe.2021-45-48
Biological and behavioral predictors of compensatory energy intake after exercisePreprint
Höchsmann, C., Beckford, S. E., French, J. A., Boron, J. B., Stevens, J. R., & Koehler, K. (2022) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-1414640/v1
Greeley, S. J., & Campbell, B. I. (2013) · CRC Press eBooks · doi:10.1201/b16045-2
Jin, L., Zhu, X., & Xue, Q. (2022) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-1671753/v1
Андреевна, Б. Е., & Lyudinina, A. Y. (2023) · Human Physiology · doi:10.1134/s0362119723600169
“…been established that fats are oxidized to a greater extent during exercise of low and moderate intensity, and carbon is oxidized mainly at high intensity, however, the contribution of fat oxidation to the total energy consumption during exercise at VO 2max above 85% is usually ignored [10, 25].”
BackgroundSaborosa, G. P., Zuri, K. N., Carneiro, T. J., et al. (2024) · MHSALUD Revista en Ciencias del Movimiento Humano y Salud · doi:10.15359/mhs.21-1.16622
Андреевна, Б. Е., & Lyudinina, A. Y. (2023) · Human Physiology · doi:10.31857/s0131164623600015
Skeletal muscle enhancer programming of intrinsic cardiorespiratory fitnessPreprint
Weitzel, A. M., Orchard, P., Evans, C. R., Manickam, N., Treutelaar, M. K., Britton, S. L., Koch, L. G., Li, J. Z., Parker, S. C. J., & Burant, C. (2025) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2025.10.02.679855
Metabolic Responses of Different Levels of FitnessPreprint
San-Millán, I., & Martinez, J. L. (2025) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2025.12.27.696707
“…indirect calorimetry (Frayn, 1983) has also gained popularity in recent decades for assessing metabolic responses during exercise (San-Millan and Brooks, 2018, Randell et al., 2017, Achten and Jeukendrup, 2003, Achten et al., 2003, Stisen et al., 2006)(Frandsen et al., 2017, Knechtle et al., 2004).”
Physiological and Metabolic Demands of Running and Cycling in Well-trained Triathletes
Jacobs, M. W., Feuerbacher, J. F., Bloch, W., et al. (2026) · International Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1055/a-2804-6727
Does a low-carbohydrate diet impede endurance sports performance? No
Noakes, T. D., & Burke, L. M. (2026) · American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2026.101269
“These studies disprove the theory that only high rates of CHO oxidation [2,3,5,15,16] can sustain exercise at > 85% VO 2 max.”
Nabofa, O. E., Mookherjee, A., & Lampou, R. (2025) · Qubahan Journal of Coaching and Sports Sciences · doi:10.48161/qcsj.v4n1a44
Hogan, C. M., Cross, T. J., Tiong, M. J., Pratheepan, P., Blaxland, A., Machan, E. A., & Rooney, K. (2026) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/mss.0000000000004027
Caffeine Increases Rate of Fat Oxidation During Exercise in Healthy Young Males and Females
DÆHLI, M. R., Clauss, M., Skattebo, Ø., Johansen, E. I., Jeppesen, P. B., & Jensen, J. (2026) · Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise · doi:10.1007/s42978-026-00388-6
Braunsperger, A., Tischer, D., Soriano‐Arroquia, A., Schönfelder, M., Georgiadi, A., & Wackerhage, H. (2026) · Sports Medicine - Open · doi:10.1186/s40798-026-01085-y
Marterer, N., Immler, L., & Faulhaber, M. (2026) · Sports · doi:10.3390/sports14090383
“Peak power output (PPO) was calculated from the final completed workload and the fraction of time completed during the final uncompleted stage [30].”
Dempsey, D. M. (2014) · OpenCommons - UConn (University of Connecticut)
Zakrzewski-Fruer, J. K. (2012) · Loughborough University Research Repository (Loughborough University)
Sponton, A. C. D. S. (2013) · Aleph UCLA Undergraduate Research Journal for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Vilarinho, R. (2015) · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT)
Metadata
- Authors
- Achten, J., & Jeukendrup, A. E.
- Affiliations
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- ORCID
- Juul Achten
- Venue
- International Journal of Sports Medicine
- Publisher
- Georg Thieme Verlag KG
- Published
- 2003-11
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 603-608
- ISSN
- 0172-4622 (ISSN-L)
- 1439-3964
- OpenAlex
- W2185042170
- Cited by
- 253
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 11.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Sports Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Johns Hopkins University
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology (medical) › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
- Keywords
- maximal fat oxidation, fat oxidation, endurance-trained men, incremental exercise test, test-retest reliability, exercise intensity, VO2max, interindividual variability, substrate utilization
- MeSH terms
- Adipose Tissue, Adult, Body Composition, Clinical Protocols, Exercise Test, Humans, Male, Oxidation-Reduction, Oxygen Consumption, Physical Fitness, Reproducibility of Results, Exercise, Confidence Intervals
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
