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Maximal exercise capacity in adolescent European and Amerindian high‐altitude natives
Author(s) -
Greksa Lawrence P.,
Spielvogel Hilde,
ParedesFernández Luis
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.1330670306
Subject(s) - ethnic group , altitude (triangle) , vo2 max , demography , hypoxia (environmental) , effects of high altitude on humans , analysis of variance , treadmill , medicine , physical therapy , oxygen , heart rate , chemistry , sociology , anthropology , mathematics , blood pressure , anatomy , geometry , organic chemistry
Forty‐seven highland natives were given maximal exercise tests on a treadmill ergometer at 3,600 m. The subjects were grouped into four subsamples on the basis of ethnicity (European vs. Aymara) and age (young vs. old adolescent). Two‐way ANOVA indicated that VO 2 max adjusted for body size did not differ significantly between ethnic groups but was significantly larger in older than younger boys within each ethnic group (p < .05). This finding does not support the hypothesis that Amerindian highland natives have adapted genetically to hypoxia but is consistent with the hypothesis that the relatively high VO 2 max's of highlanders are acquired by developmental adaptation. Several measures of ventilation and oxygen transport capacity differed significantly between ethnic groups, suggesting that growing European and Aymara boys may respond somewhat differently to the stress of high‐altitude hypoxia. However, despite these differences, VO 2 max, an integrated measure of the overall functional capacity of the oxygen transport system, did not differ significantly between ethnic groups, suggesting that both groups are equally capable of meeting the body's oxygen requirements during maximal exercise at high altitude.