Evaluation of spirometric parameters and maximum oxygen consumption in athletes and non-athletes

Introduction. There is a great interest to identify factors that influence the value of maximum oxygen consumption. The goal of this research was to assess the body composition, pulmonary parameters, and maximum oxygen consumption in different types of sports and in non-athletes. Material and Methods. The research included 149 male participants: aerobic athletes (n = 55), anaerobic athletes (n = 53) and non-athletes (n = 41). The participants were tested at the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Novi Sad. Anthropometric parameters and body mass index were measured. Also, the body fat mass was determined by bioelectrical impedance. pulmonary parameters by spirometry and maximum oxygen consumption on a bicycle ergometer. Results. The body mass index values in non-athletes were the highest and significantly different compared to the aerobic athletes (p = 0.01). Also, nonathletes had significantly higher values of body fat mass compared to athletes (p 0.05). However. the values of maximum oxygen consumption were significantly different between all three tested groups (aerobic athletes 53.75 ± 7.82 ml/kg/min; anaerobic athletes 48.04 ± 6.79 ml/kg/min; non-athletes 41.95 ± 8.53 ml/kg/min) (p < 0.001). A low degree of correlation was found between maximum oxygen consumption and pulmonary parameters in the tested groups. Conclusion. Body composition has an impact on the pulmonary parameters. The values of maximum oxygen consumption depend on the type of sport and training. and the highest values are in aerobic sports. There is a low degree of correlation between maximum oxygen consumption and pulmonary parameters in the tested groups.