Skeletal muscle endurance is reduced in chronically energy deficient adults
Padmavathi, R.; Kurpad, A.V.; Vaz, M.
Indian Journal of Medical Research 111: 28-34
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5340 PMID: 10793491 Document Number: 525363
58 Indian adult males (25 well nourished (WN), 13 underweight (UW), 20 chronically energy deficient (CED)), aged 18 to 30 years underwent an assessment of skeletal muscle function using a load cell based handgrip dynamometer coupled to a polygraph. WN subjects had higher handgrip strengths than either the UW or CED subjects (P<0.05), though not when corrected for forearm muscle area or forearm volume. CED subjects fatigued faster than WN subjects during sustained maximal isometric contraction (P<0.05) as well as during prolonged isotonic exercise (P<0.05). During the latter, the onset of fatigue in the CED subjects was also faster than that in their anthropometrically similar UW controls. These data are consonant with reports of decreased productivity in undernourished adults during real life tasks.