Binary Sex Input Has No Effect on Metabolic or Pulmonary Variables: A Within-Subjects Observational Study

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Metabolic Analysis
• Sex and Gender Research

Background:

• Metabolic analysis systems often require binary sex input, conflating biological sex with gender identity.
• This binary approach limits inclusivity and may affect research accuracy for diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if binary sex input (female condition vs. male condition) affects metabolic and pulmonary variables during self-paced walking and running.
• To assess the impact of sex input on key physiological measures in metabolic analysis.

Main Methods:

• Twenty adults participated in two 5-minute walking and running trials.
• Participants completed trials under both female (FC) and male (MC) input conditions, randomized.
• Dependent t-tests were used to compare variables between conditions, with p-values < 0.05 considered significant.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were observed in relative VO2 (mL/kg/min) or energy expenditure (kcal) between FC and MC conditions during walking or running.
• Walking: relative VO2 (p=0.08), energy expenditure (p=0.12). Running: relative VO2 (p=0.90), energy expenditure (p=0.99).
• Effect sizes (R^2) were high, indicating minimal variation attributable to sex input.

Conclusions:

• Binary sex input in the TrueOne 2400 system does not influence measured metabolic or pulmonary variables.
• This supports the use of inclusive sex and gender data collection practices.
• Inclusive data collection can improve research ethics, accuracy, and representation without compromising scientific integrity.