Women go beyond men in the most extreme sporting events, shows the study

A large part of the work devoted to the exploration of potential differences specific to sex in exercise or sports performances has been derived from laboratory studies. Although these studies are generally well controlled and guide an understanding of physiological mechanisms, they can lack pragmatic or practical relevance for the “real world”.

In 1967, Katherine V Switzer, the daughter of an American army officer, became the first woman to finish the Boston marathon as an officially recorded competitor. She was assaulted by the director of the race, Jock Semple, who tried to withdraw her race file. This shocking incident led to a ban imposed by the amateur sports union against women participating in the event until 1972.

What was the reasoning behind such an act? Race managers said women could not run so far and the rules prohibit it. Fortunately, consensus has evolved and the rules have changed. Katherine and Jock later became friends.

Johny Hayes, An American Male, Set The First Marathon World Record the London Olympics in 1908. A Kenyan Male, Kelvin Kiptum, Currently Holds the Marathon World Record at 2h: 00min: 35s, Set During the Chicago Marathon In 2023. Chepng’etich, A Kenyan Female, Set the Women’s Marathon World Record in the Same Event at 2h: 09min: 56s, only 9 min 21 behind his male counterpart.

In recent decades, athletes have benefited from an improvement in nutrition and shoes, as well as the use of pacesetters to break the wind, which can all improve performance. Athletes with anthropometric phenotypes and lifestyle well suited to marathons also contribute to the record trend. A more in -depth examination, however, reveals an overall gap in reducing sports performance between men and women.

Are women more metabolically effective in extreme physiological circumstances?

Strength, power, power, speed and endurance are generally between 10% and 30% higher in men than in women. However, recent work suggests a reduction in reduction in the gender performance difference as the distance and / or the duration increase.

This issue is discussed in a study published in Borders in physiology.

Using the double labeled water method, the researchers reported a lower total energy expenditure compared to the load cart in women compared to men during the classic of Alaska Wilderness Ski – a 200 km not sustained 200 km shipping. These results indicate greater metabolic efficiency in women in such extreme conditions.

The physiological differences specific to sex in sports performance are largely determined by variations in sex chromosomes and hormones. Testosterone levels increase approximately 30 times in men during puberty and are closely linked to an increase in muscle mass and strength. On the other hand, testosterone levels remain relatively low throughout the lifespan of women.

The menstrual cycle is marked by estrogen and progesterone fluctuations in women, but these hormones remain relatively constant in men. Estrogen elevations during the follicular phase were installed to improve fat oxidation. However, a recent meta-analysis concluded that the variations in estrogens have a minimum impact on metabolism.

So what about ultramarathons and even more extreme events? Pamela Reed and Hiroko Okiyama surpassed their male counterparts in the ultramarathons of Badwater and Deutschlandlauf, respectively.

Although these can be isolated cases, the breed duration gap between men and women has decreased by approximately 3% in events lasting six, 72, 144 and 240 hours in the past four decades. When men and women compete in similar numbers, the gap decreases even more. Fewer elite women participate in ultras compared to elite males.

In the study of physiological resilience in athletes participating in the Yukon Arctic Ultra (Yau), the longest and coldest ultramarathon in the world, the researchers observed while working alongside Dr Mathias Steinach (affiliated with the Center for Space Medicine, Berlin) according to which a single participant in a body mass index (BMI) of 22 kg / m² has already completed the event.

In fact, the average BMI for this event is around 24 kg / m² For men and women, fat mass being 30% higher in women. Despite men with a larger amount of lean tissue and less fat compared to women, the number of finishers in both sexes is essentially equivalent.

Recent studies have described a “arctic shift” in women, indicating the activation of thermogenesis induced by cold at a lower temperature compared to males, and potentially reducing metabolic requirements under cold stress.

Taking advantage of the samples of plasma, serum, stools, hair, muscle and adipose tissue of the Yau cohort, future studies will explore the mechanisms responsible for similar resilience levels despite the differences in lean fabric.

Women in military scenarios in combat

As a substitution model for military operations, the team measured total energy expenditure (TEE) during hunting expeditions in the hinterland in Alaska. The hunters, who also volunteer as research participants, are deposited via a Bush plane in the desert with a backpack, a rifle and a satellite phone between two and four weeks.

Women generally have more weight compared to body weight than males, but are no less capable or resilient. Although the number of participants is low, the mass of TEE / Lean tissues was similar in men and women, which indicates no difference in energy expenditure dedicated to physical effort.

Using new stable isotopic methods developed with collaborators at the University of California Berkeley, researchers are now studying specific sex alterations in structural integrity, cellular breathing and contractile muscle function in this cohort.

Although men have historically dominated protective roles in society, emerging data of endurance events carried out in extreme environments suggest that women can also be, if not more, metabolically resilient under physical and nutritional stress.