Gender differences in muscle strength & endurance in young Indian adults.
Article
in En
| IMSEAR
| ID: sea-17573
ABSTRACT
Muscle strength was studied in 70 males and 53 females between the ages of 17-30 yr, using a handgrip dynamometer. In a subset group of 31 males and 20 females, muscle endurance during sustained isometric contraction was studied using a load cell based handgrip dynamometer coupled to a polygraph. The males had a significantly greater muscle mass and lower body fat as compared to the females. Males had close to twice the handgrip strength of females in absolute terms (P < 0.01) and this difference persisted after correction for forearm muscle area (P < 0.05). In contrast, the rate of decline of muscle strength during sustained isometric contraction was lower in females as compared to males (P < 0.05), suggestive of greater skeletal muscle endurance in females. Physical activity patterns were not a determinant of skeletal muscle function. These findings are consistent with gender specific muscle fibre characteristics reported in literature in other racial groups.
Full text:
1
Index:
IMSEAR
Main subject:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Sex Factors
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Adolescent
/
Muscle, Skeletal
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Adult
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Energy Metabolism
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Muscle Contraction
Language:
En
Year:
1999
Type:
Article