Body metabolic rate and electromyographic activities of antigravitational muscles in supine and standing postures.

We measured metabolic (oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, respiratory ratio), cardio-circulatory (heart rate, systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure, rate-pressure product, an index of myocardial oxygen consumption calculated by multiplying heart rate by systolic pressure) and electromyographic (integrated electromyographic activities of two antigravitational muscles of the lower limb, soleus and gastrocnemius) variables on 12 young healthy subjects in supine and standing positions at rest. We found statistically significant increments of oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, heart rate and integrated electromyographic activities in standing versus supine position. Rate-pressure product increased but not significantly, and no other significant changes were detected. We conclude that postural changes influence metabolic rate, antigravitational muscle reflex activities, and heart rate. A significant positive correlation was found between oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide production and integrated electromyographic activities of antigravitational muscles, while the same was not found for cardio-circulatory variables. These results suggest that the increased metabolic rate in standing position is, at least in part, due to antigravitational muscle tone.