Pinna Virginia, Magnani Sara, Sainas Gianmarco, Ghiani Giovanna, Vanni Samuele, Olla Sergio, Marini Elisabetta, Curreli Nicoletta, Cabras Stefano, Farinatti Paulo, Antoni Giorgia, Tocco Filippo, Rinaldi Andrea C, Crisafulli Antonio
Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Front Physiol. 2017 Dec 15;8:1067. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.01067. eCollection 2017.
Caves are an extreme environment for humans because of the high humidity, mud, darkness, and slippery conditions. Explorations can last many hours or even days, and require extensive climbing and ropework. Very little is known about the physical capacity of cavers and their energy expenditure (EE) during caving. The physical capacity of 17 (7 females) expert cavers (age 43.9 ± 7.3 years) was assessed during an incremental cycle-ergometer test (IET) with gas exchange analysis. Moreover, a wearable metabolic band (Armband Fit Core) was used to estimate their EE during caving. In terms of physical capacity, the IET showed that cavers had a maximum oxygen uptake (VO) of 2,248.7 ± 657.8 ml·min (i.e., 32.4 ± 6.4 ml·kg·min), while anaerobic threshold (AT) occurred on average at 74.5% of VO. Results from caving sessions provided an average time spent in cave of 9.4 ± 1.2 h while the average EE was 268.8 ± 54.8 kcal·h, which corresponded to about 40% of VO measured during IET. A mean distance of 10.6 ± 2.2 km was covered by subjects. Data from the present investigation provide evidence that cavers have a level of aerobic physical capacity only slightly higher than that of sedentary people, thereby suggesting that a high aerobic fitness is not needed by cavers. Moreover, during caving the EE was on average well below the level of AT. However, in absolute terms, the total EE was elevated (i.e., 2,672.3 ± 576 kcal in total) due to the long time spent in caving.
洞穴对人类来说是一个极端环境，因为湿度高、有泥浆、黑暗且路况湿滑。洞穴探险可能持续数小时甚至数天，需要大量攀爬和绳索作业。关于洞穴探险者的身体能力及其在洞穴探险期间的能量消耗（EE），我们了解得非常少。在一项带有气体交换分析的递增式功率自行车测试（IET）中，对17名（7名女性）专业洞穴探险者（年龄43.9±7.3岁）的身体能力进行了评估。此外，还使用了一种可穿戴代谢带（臂带Fit Core）来估计他们在洞穴探险期间的能量消耗。在身体能力方面，IET显示洞穴探险者的最大摄氧量（VO）为2248.7±657.8毫升·分钟（即32.4±6.4毫升·千克·分钟），而无氧阈（AT）平均出现在VO的74.5%时。洞穴探险活动的结果显示，在洞穴中度过的平均时间为9.4±1.2小时，而平均能量消耗为268.8±54.8千卡·小时，这大约相当于IET期间测得的VO的40%。受试者行进的平均距离为10.6±2.2千米。本次调查的数据表明，洞穴探险者的有氧身体能力水平仅略高于久坐不动的人，这表明洞穴探险者并不需要很高的有氧适能。此外，在洞穴探险期间，能量消耗平均远低于无氧阈水平。然而，从绝对值来看，由于在洞穴中花费的时间较长，总能量消耗有所升高（即总计2672.3±576千卡）。
