WASHINGTON:
Contradicting the assumption that men are more athletic than women, a study has recently found that females are more fit naturally as they can process oxygen more quickly than males, when they start to exercise.
According to the University of Waterloo researchers, women can process oxygen more quickly than men when they start to exercise. Quick oxygen uptake places less strain on the body’s cells and is considered an important measure of aerobic fitness.
Lead author Thomas Beltrame said the findings are contrary to the popular assumption that men’s bodies are more naturally athletic. The team compared oxygen uptake and muscle oxygen extraction between 18 young men and women of similar age and weight during treadmill exercise.
The results suggested that the women consistently outperformed men with around 30 percent faster oxygen handling throughout the body. Another researcher Richard Hughson stated that women’s muscles extract oxygen from the blood faster, which, scientifically speaking, indicates a superior aerobic system.
By processing oxygen faster, women are less likely to accumulate molecules linked with muscle fatigue, effort perception and poor athletic performance. “While we don’t know why women have faster oxygen uptake, this study shakes up conventional wisdom,” said Beltrame.
The study is published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.
