Overview

• A study published on April 29, 2025, in *Frontiers in Physiology* found women exhibit lower energy expenditure relative to load carriage than men during a 200 km Arctic ski expedition.
• The findings suggest women’s metabolic efficiency and resilience may surpass men’s in extreme endurance scenarios, contributing to the narrowing gender performance gap in sports.
• Over the past four decades, the performance gap between men and women in multi-hour endurance events has decreased by approximately 3%.
• Researchers identified a potential ‘Arctic shift’ in women, where cold-induced thermogenesis activates at lower temperatures, reducing metabolic demands in extreme cold.
• The study underscores the importance of real-world field research in understanding sex-specific physiological adaptations, challenging traditional lab-based paradigms.