The heritability of maximal aerobic power: a study of Norwegian twins

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Abstract
The present study reports results on the effect of genes, individual and common environments on the variance of maximal aerobic power. Data on 436 identical and 622 fraternal male twin pairs in their late teens or early twenties were retrieved from the Norwegian Army Draft Board. Structural equation models were fitted to the mean squares within and between the twin pairs. The results indicate that more than half of the variance in maximum aerobic power is due to genotypic differences, whereas the rest is accounted for by individual (specific) environmental factors. The possibility of cohort and society differences in the heritability of maximal aerobic power is discussed.