An association of sports medicine professionals published a statement recognizing innate biological differences between males and females in athletic performance.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) issued an “expert consensus statement” appearing in the organization’s Translational Journal and outlining the various ways biological sex impacts athletic performance. An accompanying press release issued on Sept. 29 summarizes the findings.
ACSM states that “adult males are faster, stronger, [and] more powerful than females because of fundamental sex differences in anatomy and physiology dictated by sex chromosomes.” These effects, which become noticeable after puberty, give adult males an advantage over “females of [a] similar age and training status.”
Males have an advantage, according to ACSM, because
Direct and indirect effects of testosterone during male puberty include increase skeletal muscle mass due to larger muscle fiber cross-sectional area, especially fast, type II fibers; lower percentage body fat; higher hemoglobin concentration and mass; larger ventricular mass (heart) and cardiac volumes; larger airways and lungs; greater body height; and longer limbs.
“The sex difference in athletic performance where endurance or muscular power is required is roughly 10-30% depending on the event,” according to ACSM.
The ACSM cautions “that there are gaps in the data and further research is needed to address them” but characterized its work as a “major step.” Follow-up research will include an assessment of “a systems-based approach for discussing the medical care of transgender athletes” and work “to identify the next steps needed to address research (or knowledge) gaps” in previous work.
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