Relaxed +GZ tolerance in healthy men: effect of age.
Fifty-three healthy US Air Force aircrewmen, 26-55 yr old, volunteered for a centrifuge study designed to determine the effect of age on relaxed +GZ tolerance. Each was subjected to G forces of gradual and rapid onset, with G tolerance determined by standardized contraction of peripheral visual fields. Of the subject characteristics studied, only age was positively correlated with rapid-onset G tolerance; both age and weight were positively correlated with gradual-onset G tolerance. A combination of age and weight gave a stronger positive correlation with G tolerance (rapid- and gradual-onset) than did either characteristic alone. No significant negative correlations were observed. We conclude that aging may offer some protection from G stress; there is no evidence that aging leads to a decrement in G tolerance.
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D001835:Body Weight; D006112:Gravitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged