Effect of Percutaneous Electrical Stimulation of the Leg Muscles under Acute Normobaric Hypoxic Environment on Blood Glucose Concentration

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of percutaneouselectrical stimulation of the leg muscles under acute normobaric hypoxic environment onblood glucose concentration. [Methods and Results]Ten healthy subjects in a low oxygen（14.5％） environment at normal pressure received percutaneous electrical stimulation of thelower limbs for 20 minutes using a technique called Belt electrode Skeletal muscle ElectricalStimulation（ B-SES）, and its effects on glucose metabolism were measured. After 30 minutesof acclimatization to the normobaric hypoxic environment before the stimulation, decrease inpercutaneous oxygen saturation was observed. The electrical stimulation did not furtherdecrease the percutaneous oxygen saturation. Heart rate had not increased after theacclimatization or after the electrical stimulation; it is thought that B-SES had little influenceon the cardiorespiratory system. B-SES caused a significant mean decrease of 16.2 mg/dl（0.9 mmol/L） in blood glucose concentration. [Conclusion] B-SES in normobaric hypoxiamay enhance the efficiency of glucose metabolism and lower blood glucose concentration.