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Int J Sports Med 2000; 21(2): 117-121
DOI: 10.1055/s-2000-8873
Training and Testing
Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart ·New York

Cardiovascular Fitness in Premenarcheal Girls and Young Women

 T. Rowland1 ,  K. Miller2 ,  P. Vanderburgh3 ,  D. Goff2 ,  L. Martel1 ,  L. Ferrone1
  • 1 Department of Pediatrics, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA, USA
  • 2 Department of Exercise Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
  • 3 Department of Health and Sport Science, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
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Publication History

Publication Date:
31 December 2000 (online)

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Maximal oxygen uptake (V˙O2max) in females, expressed as ml × kg-1 × min-1, declines steadily during the first three decades of life. The contribution of diminished cardiovascular function to this apparent fall in aerobic fitness is unknown. Cardiac responses to maximal cycle exercise were compared in 24 premenarcheal females (mean age 11.7 years) and 17 young adult women (mean age 27.4 years) using Doppler echocardiography. Mean V˙O2max was 40 ml × kg-1 × min-1 and 34.7 ml × kg-1 × min-1 in the girls and women, respectively (p < 0.05). When V˙O2max was expressed relative to allometrically-derived mass0.52, however, no significant difference was observed in aerobic fitness between the two groups. Similar allometric analyses revealed no significant differences in average maximal cardiac output (10.50 vs 10.07 L × min-1 BSA-1.11 for girls and women, respectively) nor maximal stroke volume (53 vs 56 ml BSA-1.13 respectively). These findings suggest that 1) allometric scaling is important in eliminating the effects of body size on V˙O2max, 2) body dimension differences can account for variations in V˙O2 in young females, and 3) cardiac functional reserve is similar in premenarcheal girls and young adult women.

Key words:

Children - fitness - oxygen uptake - cardiac output

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D. M. Thomas Rowland

Department of Pediatrics Baystate Medical Center

Springfield, MA 01199

USA

Phone: + 1 (413) 7947350

Fax: + 1 (413) 7943623

Email: thomas.rowland@bhs.org