Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Department of Anesthesiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
FASEB J. 2021 May;35(5):e21562. doi: 10.1096/fj.202100161R.
Elite performing men continue to record faster record times in running events compared to women. These sex-based differences in running speed and endurance in humans are expected based on sexual dimorphisms that contribute to differences in the determinants of aerobic performance. Comparatively, the sexual dimorphisms contributing to sex-based differences in elite aerobic performance are not ubiquitous across other species that compete in running events. The purpose of this review is to offer a framework and model for ongoing discussions of the physiological determinants and ultimately limits of physical performance. The records for average running speed of champion athletes were delineated by sex for thoroughbred horses, greyhound dogs, and humans. Male and female performances within each of these species are being optimized by training, nutrition, and financial incentives, and are approaching a performance maximum. For horses and greyhounds breeding also plays a role. Analysis of athletic records shows that there is a sex-related difference of ~10% or more in elite athletic performance for humans; however, the upper limit of performance does not appear to be different between sexes for thoroughbred horses and greyhound dogs. In the context of the nil sex differences in running performance in thoroughbreds and greyhounds, we discuss the physiological role of sexual dimorphisms on sex-specific limits to running performance. We highlight that studies on both human and animal performance in athletic events stimulate critical physiological questions and drive novel research.
在跑步项目中，精英男性运动员的成绩持续优于女性。这种男女在跑步速度和耐力上的性别差异是基于性二态性的，性二态性导致了有氧能力决定因素的差异。相比之下，导致精英有氧表现性别差异的性二态性在其他参与跑步项目的物种中并非普遍存在。本文的目的是提供一个框架和模型，以持续讨论生理决定因素，最终是身体表现的极限。对纯种马、赛狗和人类的冠军运动员平均跑步速度记录进行了性别划分。在这些物种中，每个物种的男性和女性表现都通过训练、营养和经济激励得到了优化，并且正在接近性能的最大值。对于马和狗来说，繁殖也起着重要的作用。对运动员记录的分析表明，人类在精英运动表现方面存在约 10%或更多的性别差异；然而，在纯种马和赛狗中，性能的上限似乎没有性别差异。在纯种马和赛狗的跑步表现中没有性差异的背景下，我们讨论了性二态性对特定性别跑步表现限制的生理作用。我们强调，对人类和动物在竞技运动中的表现的研究激发了关键的生理问题，并推动了新的研究。
