Running head: 2D:4D and Aerobic Fitness in Young Adults: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIGIT RATIO (2D:4D), VO sub( 2MAX), VENTILATORY THRESHOLD, AND RUNNING PERFORMANCE

• Published in: International journal of sports sciences and fitness 2016-01, Vol.6 (1), p.1-1
• Main Authors: Holzapfel, S D, Chomentowski, P J, Summers, L A M, Sabin, M J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2231-1599

The ratio of the second to fourth finger length (2D:4D) in the right and left hand shares a negative relationship with prenatal testosterone concentrations and endurance running performance. The underlying mechanisms explaining this relationship are unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between 2D:4D and physiological parameters of cardiorespiratory fitness. We examined the relationship between 2D:4D and VO sub( 2)max, ventilator threshold, exercise economy, and fat free mass in young, sedentary and young endurance trained male and female adults. There were no significant correlations between digit ratio and VO sub( 2)max or exercise economy, except for negative correlations between 2D:4D and exercise economy (r approximately 0.60) and fat-free mass (r approximately 0.50) in sedentary men. Correlations between 2D:4D and ventilatory threshold were consistently strong across all groups (-0.45 less than or equal to r less than or equal to -0.87). In trained men, lower 2D:4D related to better running performance (r approximately 0.44) while cardiorespiratory fitness markers were better predictors of running performance than 2D:4D in trained women. Our results suggest that the relationship between high prenatal testosterone levels and superior endurance running performance is mediated by a high ventilatory threshold, which may be caused by a high Type I muscle fiber type ratio.