Effect of exercise, body and lung size on CO diffusion in athletes and nonathletes

¹ Department of Applied Physiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England

A comparison of pulmonary alveolar-capillary diffusion was made on groups of 11 athletes and 9 nonathletes closely matched in body size and age. The modified Krogh breath-holding technique was employed both at rest and during exercise on a bicycle ergometer. Mean maximal values of Dco, kco, and Vo₂ were significantly higher in athletes than in nonathletes (P < 0.01). Pulmonary permeability (kco) rose rectilinearly with Vo₂. The mean graph for athletes was parallel to but higher than that for nonathletes. The equality in slopes was attributed to the matching of the two groups in body size. Evidence that the higher level in athletes was due to their higher degree of training was provided by one nonathletic subject whose permeability rose during training to the mean athletic level. The relation between permeability, body and lung size, and Vo₂ is discussed.

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