Ventilatory capacity among highland Bods: a possible adaptive mechanism at high altitude

Ventilatory capacity (forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume and maximal voluntary ventilation) among Highland Bods (3514 m altitude) was higher than in an ethnically similar population residing at a lower altitude in Kulu Valley (1500--2200 m). Increased ventilatory capacity appears to have developed among native highlanders as a consequence of a biological response to high altitude. Numerous factors such as low oxygen pressure, increased work-load and minimal air pollution may explain these findings.