GENDER DIFFERENCES EXIST IN CHO UTILIZATION IN EXERCISE

Pritzlaff, C. J., Wideman, L., Weltman, J. Y., Gaesser, G. A., Veldhuis, J. D., & Weltman, A. (2000). Carbohydrate and fat oxidation during exercise and recovery: Effects of exercise intensity and gender. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 32(5), Supplement abstract 1068.

This study examined the relationship between energy expenditure and exercise intensity during exercise and recovery. Ss (M = 10; F = 8) were tested on five occasions at varying levels of exercise intensity.

Males used CHO more than females during exercise. There was no gender difference for fat utilization. During 3.5 hours of recovery, females began with higher levels of fat utilization than males, with that level remaining constant throughout. In males, CHO oxidation decreased during recovery and significant increases in fat oxidation occurred with increasing exercise intensity during recovery.

Implication. Gender differences exist in CHO and fat oxidation during different levels of exercise intensity and recovery.

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