The Respiratory Response to Acute Exercise of Eskimoes and White

Abstract

Summary. The respiratory gaseous exchange of 10 Alaskan male eskimoes and 10 white male subjects during rest and during and after a work performance of approximately 1,125 kg‐m in the course of 1 minute on a bicycle ergometer was determined. During rest the only difference between the two groups of subjects was that the eskimoes had a higher resting metabolism. The difference in this limited material might be accidental, or can also be due to the fact that the eskimoes under these circumstances were more tense than the white. The work efficiency of the eskimoes, who never had bicycled before, was almost the same as of the white, who all were used to bicycling. The eskimoes, who were shorter and lighter than the white subjects had a shorter recovery time indicating a better cardiorespiratory function. For types of exercise which are a function of the body weight, the difference would have been even more pronounced.