Elite Athleticism and The deletion of the D allele in Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme(ACE)

        

        There has been research done involving the inheritance of Angiotensin-converting enzyme(ACE). ACE is an enzyme that increases blood pressure and vasoconstriction. In the study shown, they analyze how individuals without the D allele react to physical tasks. Several rats were tested and it showed that exposure to hypoxia increased the expression of ACE, which means that the rat would experience more vasoconstriction, disallowing the oxygen to flow. The study shows that via ACE inhibition, the pulmonary  hypertensive response to hypoxia is reduced, which means that the subject would be able to increase the oxygen in their body. The key to this is the deletion of the D allele. If this condition is in athletes, their body can perform at higher levels when under hypoxia like conditions. When other athletes oxygen levels are low, the athletes without the D allele will have higher levels, and be able to perform better.