Cardiorespiratory fitness and fat oxidation during exercise in Chinese, Indian, and Malay men with elevated body mass index

A cross-sectional pilot investigation was performed in Chinese, Indian, and Malay men (15 each) with elevated body mass index to compare (<i>i</i>) cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and (<i>ii</i>) fat oxidation at rest and maximal fat oxidation during exercise. Predicted CRF (Chinese: 37.0 (5.1) mL·kg^-1·min^-1; Indian: 34.8 (5.6) mL·kg^-1·min^-1; Malay: 33.0 (7.1) mL·kg^-1·min^-1; <i>P</i> = 0.208) and resting fat oxidation were similar among groups. Maximal fat oxidation during exercise was lower in Indian (3.81 (1.02) mg·kg^-1·min^-1, <i>P</i> = 0.004) and Malay (3.36 (0.95) mg·kg^-1·min^-1, <i>P</i> < 0.001) than Chinese (5.17 (1.23) mg·kg^-1·min^-1) men. Fat oxidation during exercise may contribute toward obesity risk in Asian populations. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05337111.