Aerobic working capacity of Eskimos

¹ Institute of Work Physiology, Blindern, Oslo, Norway, and Division of Applied Biology, National Research Council, Ottawa, Canada

The aerobic working capacity was measured in eight young Eskimos. Their maximal oxygen uptake averaged 2.6 liter/min. This is considerably lower than that found in young Caucasian men. The heart rate-oxygen uptake relationship also indicates a lower physiological capacity of the Eskimos. Expressing maximal oxygen uptake on a body weight basis brings about substantial agreement with results of experiments on sedentary-living Scandinavian students. The heart rate taken at the end of the maximal work averaged 173 min for the Eskimos which is about 10% lower than found in Caucasian men, indicating that the work test (bicycling) did not activate the circulatory system of the Eskimos maximally. By assuming a linear correlation between heart rate and O₂ consumption up to its maximal value, the maximal O₂ uptake would have to be 20% greater to give a maximal heart rate similar to that observed in Caucasian men. The pulmonary ventilation efficiency during exercise was found to be lower in Eskimos than in Caucasian men.