Maximal Oxygen Uptake in Skolt LappsAuthor(s): Jan KarlssonSource: Arctic Anthropology, Vol. 7, No. 1, Health and Biology of Circumpolar HumanPopulations (1970), pp. 19-20Published by: University of Wisconsin PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40315715 .

Accessed: 11/06/2014 00:20

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

.

University of Wisconsin Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to ArcticAnthropology.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 195.34.78.161 on Wed, 11 Jun 2014 00:20:00 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

MAXIMAL OXYGEN UPTAKE IN SKOLT LAPPS JAN KARLSSON

Twenty-one female and 31 male Skolt Lapps from the Nellim area in the northeastern part of Finland were examined for work capacity in terms of maximal oxygen uptake (max Vq ). This was determined with the Douglas bag method and the gas analyses were made according to the Scholander technique. Blood lactate was also determined and was in no case below 7.0 mM after maximal work. The individual data for max Vq in relation to age are illustrated in Fig. 1.

For both the sexes the highest mean value of max Vq2 expressed in 1 x min"1 was attained in the decade 20-29 years: 1.76 1 x min"1 and 2.88 1 x min"1 for the females and males, respectively. When the max Vq2 was expressed in ml x kg"1 x min"1 the highest values appeared in the age group 10-14 years for the females and 15-19 years for the males: 35 ml x kg"1 x min"1 and 52 ml x kg"1 x min"1, respectively. From Fig. 1 it is obvious that the two sexes start to differ after the onset of puberty. This is in agreement with earlier observations (for reference, see Âstrand 1952).

The mean values in different population studies for max Vq in relation to age are illustrated in Fig. 2. From these materials it seems reasonable to conclude that there is no difference between the examined populations other than that which can be explained by differences in the amount of daily physical activity. Note the difference between the trained Scandinavian subjects (curve 1) and the normal material (curve 4) .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Andersen, K. Lange, R. Eisner, B. Saltin and L. Hermansen

1961- 1962 Technical Documentary Report AAL

TDR-61-53, Arctic Aeromedicai Labora- tory, Alaska.

Figure 1 . Individual data for maximal oxygen uptake in relation to age in Skolt Lapps expressed in 1 x min"1 (the upper panel) and in ml x kg"1 x min"1 (the lower panel).

Âstrand, I. 1960 Acta Physiol. Scand., Vol. 49, Suppl.

169.

Âstrand, P.-O. 1952 Experimental Studies of Physical

Working Capacity in Relation to Age and Sex. Copenhagen: Munksgaard.

Ekblom, B. and E. Gjessing 1968 J. Appl. Physiol., Vol. 25, No. 2, pp.

124-129.

Grimby, G. and B. Saltin 1966 Acta Med. Scand., Vol. 179, pp. 513-526

19

Arctic Anthropology VII-1, 1970

This content downloaded from 195.34.78.161 on Wed, 11 Jun 2014 00:20:00 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

20 Arctic Anthropology VII-1

Figure 2. A comparison of maximal oxygen uptake between the Skolt Lapps (filled circles) and other studies:

1. Trained material from (a) Saltin and Astrand 1967; (b) Grimby and Saltin 1966; (c) Karlsson un- published results

2. Nomadic Lapps, Lange Andersen et al. 1961-1962 3. Lumberjacks, Lundgren 1966 4. Different studies on western populations: (a) I. Âstrand 1960; (b) P.-O. Âstrand 1952; (c) Herman-

sen 1964; (d) Robinson 1938 5. Easter Island population, Ekblom and Gjessing 1968

The range in max Vq in the decade 20-29 years is 15 ml x kg"1 x min"1 for both the sexes which shall be compared. 1SD = 6 mix kg"1 x min"1 for both the sexes in the present study.

Hermansen, L. 1964 Aerob arbeidskapacitet i relasjon til

alder og kjönn. (Thesis in zoophysiology) University of Oslo.

Saltin, B. and P.-O. Âstrand 1967 J. Appl. Physiol., Vol. 23, No. 3, pp.

353-358.

Lundgren, N. 1966 Physiologisk arbetsmä tning Kap. XI.

In: Handbok i Ergonomi, Almqvist and Wiksell, Stockholm.

Robinson, S. 1938 Arbeitsphysiologie 10, pp. 251-323.

Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan Fysiologiska Institutionen Lidingövägen 1 11433 Stockholm Sweden

This content downloaded from 195.34.78.161 on Wed, 11 Jun 2014 00:20:00 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions