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VO2 max

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Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) measures how well the body uses oxygen during exercise. It’s often considered an indication of cardiovascular health.

In people with ME/CFS, it has been shown that VO2 max is often lower than in healthy people, especially when measured by a two-day cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). A lower VO2 max means that someone cannot utilize oxygen as well during exertion, and this can contribute to fatigue.

At OMF’s Ronald G. Tompkins Harvard ME/CFS Collaboration, the study team has found that a lower VO2 max coincides with two forms of heart failure in people with ME/CFS: preload failure and poor oxygen extraction. Read more about this project here.