Endurance Running Genes?

[Guest guest]

The below may be of interest:

Minor Variations in One Gene May Be Associated With Endurance Running

ScienceDaily (Feb. 21, 2010) —

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100218173319.htm

A few minor variations in one gene may make a difference in athletic endurance,

according to a new study from Physiological Genomics.

The study found that elite endurance athletes were more likely to have

variations of the NRF2 gene than elite sprinters. Non-elite endurance athletes

were also more likely to have the genetic variations compared to sprinters,

although the difference was not as pronounced.

The study shows an association between the gene variation and endurance, but

does not establish a cause-effect relationship. Future studies are needed to

unravel exactly what role the gene plays in athletic performance. The study is

part of a larger body of research that is exploring the human genome and which

aims to understand the genetic underpinnings of athletic performance.

Although the human genome is relatively uniform, there are variations among

individuals. The researchers investigated the NRF2 gene because previous studies

have shown that it may play a role in endurance performance because it:

helps produce new mitochondria, a key cellular structure that produces energy

reduces the harmful effects of oxidation and inflammation, which increase during

exercise

" These findings suggest that harboring this specific genotype might increase the

probability of being an endurance athlete, " said one of the authors, Nir Eynon

of Wingate Institute in Israel. The study was carried out by Dr. Eynon, Alberto

Alves, Moran Sagiv, Chen Yamin, Prof. Sagiv and Dr. Yoav Meckel.

All are at the Wingate Institute except for Alberto Alves, who is with the

University of Porto in Portugal.

The Study

The study examined 155 track and field athletes who had competed in national or

international track and field competitions. The athletes were further subdivided

into endurance group (10,000 meter and marathon runners) and a sprint group

(100- and 200-meter and long jump). The control group consisted of 240

non-athletic healthy individuals.

These groups were further divided into elite-level (those who had represented

Israel in the world track and field championships or in the Olympics) and

national-level (those who had competed in national competitions, but not

international).

The study found that two variations in the NRF2 gene (specifically, the NRF2 A

allele and the NRF2 C/T genotype) occurred more often in endurance athletes than

in sprinters. " Eighty percent of the elite-level endurance athletes were

carrying the A allele of the NRF2 A/C single nucleotide protein, compared to

only 46% of the elite-level sprinters, " Nir. Eynon said. The study also found

that the combined NRF2 AA+ NRF2 C/T genotype was more frequent in endurance

athletes than in the sprinters group and the control group.

" So, " concludes Eynon, " some of us are truly born to run. "

====================

Carruthers

Wakefield, UK