The Biological Basis of Sex Differences in Athletic Performance: Consensus Statement for the American College of Sports Medicine.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
ACSM expert consensus statement and narrative mechanism review
PubMed 37772882 · doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000003300
What was done
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) developed a consensus statement reviewing the scientific literature on biological sex differences in athletic performance. The review synthesized anatomical, physiological, and endocrine mechanisms (primarily testosterone and estradiol) that drive performance differences and exercise adaptations between males and females, alongside historical and non-physiological factors and research gaps.
What was found
Adult males typically outperform females of similar age and training status by 10% to 30% in events reliant on endurance, muscle strength, speed, and power. These performance gaps emerge during puberty and coincide with divergence in endogenous sex steroids, notably an approximate 30-fold increase in testosterone in males by adulthood compared to low levels maintained in females.
Why it matters
The statement establishes an authoritative summary of the biological and endocrine drivers of male-female athletic performance disparities. It highlights how these physiological differences baseline athletic outcomes and calls for equitable female representation in mechanistic exercise research.
Limits
As an expert consensus statement and narrative review, this document presents synthesized conclusions rather than a systematic review with meta-analytic pooling or risk-of-bias grading. The abstract provides generalized performance ranges (10%-30%) without event-specific granularity, and underlying mechanistic evidence remains limited by historical underrepresentation of female cohorts in exercise physiology.
Cited by
- supports The American College of Sports Medicine published a scientific statement on the biological differences of sex in sports with Sandra Hunter as the lead author.