Subjects' characteristics, spirometry and exercise test results
| Men | Women | |
| Subjects n | 58 | 41 |
| Age years | 73.6±4.0 | 73.2±2.7 |
| Weight kg | 81.3±13.3 | 67.7±11.5 |
| Height cm | 172.2±0.1 | 159.5±0.1 |
| Body mass index kg·m−2 | 28.0±3.6 | 26.2±3.6 |
| Current smokers | 5 (8.6) | 0 (0) |
| Former smokers | 32 (55.0) | 9 (21.9) |
| Intense physical activity | 13 (22.4) | 6 (14.6) |
| Moderate physical activity | 31 (53.4) | 27 (65.8) |
| Sedentary | 14 (24.2) | 8 (19.6) |
| FVC L | 3.7±0.7 | 2.8±0.6 |
| FVC % predicted | 101.7±20.1 | 122.8±25.4 |
| FEV1 L | 2.7±0.6 | 2.2±0.4 |
| FEV1 % pred | 99.6±22.8 | 117.1±21.6 |
| FEV1/FVC % | 74.1±8.9 | 78.7±6.3 |
| Oxygen uptake at rest L·min−1 | 0.30±0.07 | 0.23±0.06 |
| Heart rate at rest beats·min−1 | 76±12 | 77±13 |
| Ventilation at rest L | 11.52±2.61 | 8.42±1.64 |
| Maximal oxygen uptake L·min−1 | 1.88±0.41 | 1.26±0.24 |
| mL·min−1·kg−1 | 23.05±5.47 | 18.94±4.00 |
| Maximal workload W | 127.33±36.66 | 84.20±18.29 |
| Maximal heart rate beats·min−1 | 142±21 | 137±18 |
| % pred# | 87.2±13.0 | 85.8±10.6 |
| Maximal ventilation L | 72.77±18.31 | 49.50±13.22 |
| % pred# | 77.6±17.4 | 68.0±16.7 |
| Maximal V′E/V′CO2 | 34.19±4.63 | 34.83±5.66 |
| Maximal V′E/V′O2 | 38.38±7.37 | 39.40±6.91 |
| Maximal respiratory exchange ratio | 1.14±0.10 | 1.15±0.07 |
Data are presented as mean±sd or n (%), unless otherwise stated. The exercise test was performed on an electrically-braked cycle ergometer. FVC: forced vital capacity; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; V′E: minute ventilation; V′CO2: carbon dioxide output; V′O2: oxygen uptake. #: predicted maximal ventilation was calculated as the subject's FEV1×35; predicted maximal heart rate was calculated as 210−0.65×(age) [7].