Beta Blockers & Calorie Burn?

Hi, so I am on beta blockers for my condition (SVT), and have gotten back into a good regimen of running, believe it or not. Doc gave me the go ahead, just no more competing, which is ok by me! I also have an ICD. Anyways, here is a question, since my heart rate is somewhat lower during my running and exercise when I am on beta blockers, Am I burning less calories when I run 4 miles on beta blocker than I would if not taking beta blockers? Just curious if anyone knows?

7 Comments

Hi natlat

by IAN MC - 2014-08-07 06:08:52

It seems to me that there are 2 aspects to this :-

Every time you blink you burn calories. If you blink 60 times a minute you would burn more calories than if you blink only 40 times a minute.

Similarly every time your heart beats you burn calories. If your heart beats 60 times a minute then you burn more calories than if it only beats 40 times a minute.

So on that basis alone a beta-blocker which slows the heart would mean that you burn fewer calories.

But one of the main reasons that beta blockers usually lead to weight gain is that they cause a reduction in your energy expenditure . In addition to that they may slow your metabolic rate which affects the calorie burn-rate.

So when you do your 4 mile run while on a beta blocker your maximum HR will be reduced by about the same amount as your resting HR. So the beta blocker will adversely affect your performance ( i.e. it will make you run more slowly ) which means you will burn fewer calories .

Some beta blockers are more likely to cause weight gain than others.

Keep on running though , "not running" burns far fewer calories than running !!

Ian


I feel you pain re: Beta Blockers

by chazzf - 2014-08-07 07:08:10

Yes, they slow you down. My last pre-Carvedilol (100mg daily) marathon was 3:38...first post-Carvedilol was 4:35. Most of my running now is 2 min per miles SLOWER...makes those 20 mile training runs really long. But like you at least I'm still out there...... :)

Beta Blockers and effects on running

by natlat - 2014-08-07 10:08:23

Hi, only problem with the assumption that I am burning less calories is that my rate of perceived exertion remains the same as if I were not on betas. So before the betas, I was running 9:30 for my easy pace and afyer it's 10:30's. If I still weigh the same and still run the miles, I think the calorie burn is the same per mile...

Burning calories

by golden_snitch - 2014-08-08 03:08:45

Hi!

Generally speaking one can say that, the higher the heart rate, the more calories you burn. Consequently, if the betablockers lowers your heart rate, you burn less calories. BUT intensity and especially workout duration are important, too. So, if you cannot get your heart rate up as you did without betablockers, try moderate exercising, but for a longer period of time than you did in the past.

Inga

Perceived Exertion ???

by IAN MC - 2014-08-08 04:08:45

Why should perceived exertion be an accurate indicator of calorie burn ? What if after the betas you could only walk at a 30.00 pace but still felt as exhausted as when you ran at 9.30; would you then think that your calorie burn was the same over the same distance ?

Factors such as the speed at which you are moving your legs play a massive part in calorie burn.

Ian

Perceived Exertion?

by natlat - 2014-08-08 06:08:41

Hi Ian, I don't know. Well for me, I still run with a similar heart rate, and I am still running at 70-75% of my max (and that's my max not on beta blockers) even while on beta blockers. So this all is meaningless to me. Just throwing the question out there to see if any experts chime in.

Lipolysis

by golden_snitch - 2014-08-08 09:08:21

Maybe the following abstract of a study helps to understand what's going on.

Inga

"Beta-blockade and lipolysis during endurance exercise.

Inhibition of adipose tissue lipolysis may be involved in the impairment of endurance capacity after administration of a beta-adrenoceptor blocker. During endurance exercise, no significant decrease in plasma glycerol and free fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations after beta-adrenoceptor blockade is found. However, the levels during recovery from exhaustion are lower after beta-adrenoceptor blockade. This study was designed to investigate whether the lower levels after exercise are due to beta-adrenoceptor blockade or to the shorter time to exhaustion after administration of a beta-adrenoceptor blocker. In a single-blind study, 11 well-trained male subjects (age 23 (0.9) y) performed a cycle ergometer test at 70% Wmax until exhaustion 2 h after intake of 80 mg propranolol. One week later, the test was repeated after intake of placebo and was stopped at the time of exhaustion in the previous test. Average exercise time was 24 min. During exercise plasma glucose was lower, whereas plasma lactate and the respiratory exchange ratio were significantly higher when the subjects were on propranolol. Glycerol and NEFA concentrations during exercise were not significantly different between the two conditions. Despite an identical exercise time, glycerol and NEFA concentrations during recovery were significantly lower after propranolol treatment. In conclusion, lipolysis is inhibited during exercise after propranolol, probably causing a shift from fat to carbohydrate combustion."

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8223828

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