title: Scaling peak VO2 for differences in body size.
abstract: This paper examined the influence of different statistical modeling techniques on the interpretation of peak VO2 data in groups of prepubertal, circumpubertal, and adult males (group 1M, N = 29; group 2M, N = 26; group 3M, N = 8) and females (group 1F, N = 33; group 2F, N = 34; group 3F, N = 16). Conventional comparisons of the simple per-body-mass ratio (ml.kg-1.min-1) revealed no significant differences between the three male groups (P < 0.05). In females, a decline in VO2 between group 2F and 3F was observed (P < 0.05). Both linear and log-linear (allometric) models revealed significant increases across all three male groups for peak VO2 adjusted for body mass (P < 0.05). In females these scaling models identified a significantly lower peak VO2 in group 1F versus groups 2F and 3F (P < 0.05). Based upon the common mass exponent identified (b = 0.80, SE = 0.04), power function ratios (y.mass0.80) were generated and the logarithms of these compared. Again, results indicated a progressive increase in peak VO2 across groups 1M to 3M (P < 0.05) and an increase between groups 1F and 2F (P < 0.05). Incorporating stature into the allometric equation reduced the mass exponent to 0.71 (SE = 0.06) with the contribution of the stature exponent shown to be 0.44 (SE = 0.20). These results indicate that conventional ratio standards do not adequately account for body size differences when investigating functional changes in peak VO2.
authors.affiliation: Children's Health and Exercise Research Centre, University of Exeter, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Welsman
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nevill
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kirby
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001824:Body Constitution / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010101:Oxygen Consumption