The Role of Genetics in Shaping Your Exercise Journey

           Exercise doesn't carry a tag stating “one size fits all.” A variety of new exercises are flooding health news articles to promote the best way to get in shape. Contrary to these articles, it's crucial to highlight the overlooked benefit of gene testing. Gene testing empowers individuals to tailor their exercise journey, leading to impactful and long-lasting results. Learning how to work alongside and understand our genes, can help to utilize the genes that influence the outcomes of different kinds of physical activity one can endure. A study led by experts from the Cambridge Centre for Sport & Exercise Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in England examined 72% of the difference between people in performance outcome following a specific exercise can be due to genetic differences. The components are measured on three types of physical exercise: muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness, and anaerobic power. The study discovered 13 genes and associated alleles that are responsible for how an individual can undergo each of the three types of physical exercise. 

By prompting genetic testing, individuals can find the solution to what works for their genes. Beneficiaries are individuals ranging from patients in hospitals to olympic athletes. Individuals carry different genetic makeup, so no exercise regime can work for an entire population. Therefore, genetic testing can allow individuals to understand how to work alongside their genes, not against.

Links:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211014142032.htm

https://www.ideafit.com/personal-training/genes-and-exercise-how-much-does-it-matter/

Gene able to predict Athletic Performance in Children

On November 29, 2008, an article was released by the New York Times in regards to genetically testing the athletic potential of children. This genetic test is supposedly able to determine which sports suit the talents of children. Atlas Sports Genetics is offering this test for a whopping $149, in which the process includes swabbing inside the child’s cheek and along the gums to collect DNA and then submitting that culture to a lab for analysis of ACTN3, one of more than 20,000 genes in the human genome. The purpose of the test is to find out whether a person would be best at speed and power sports such as football, or endurance sports like distance running.

The executives at Atlas recognize the limitations of their test, but they believe it could provide guidelines for placing children, from infancy to about 8 years old, in sports. It is believed its best to conduct the test during this age period because it would be most ideal to condition children from a young age. However, some are skeptical of how necessary and accurate this test really is. It has been known that athletic performance has been found to be affected by at least 200 genes.

A 2003 study discovered the link between ACTN3 and the athletic performance of elite athletes was published in 2003 by researchers primarily based in Australia. Researchers looked at the gene’s combinations, of which one copy was provided by each parent. The R variant of ACTN3 induces the body to produce alpha-actinin-3, a protein found specifically in fast-twitch muscles. There are two types of fast-twich muscles, which are glycolytic and oxidative. Both of which are capable of the forceful, quick contractions necessary in speed and power sports. The X variant prevents production of the protein.

The ACTN3 research study examined 429 elite white athletes, including 50 Olympians, and found that 50 percent of the 107 sprint athletes had two copies of the R variant. What’s more, no female elite sprinter had two copies of the X variant and all male Olympians in power sports had at least one copy of the R variant. Close to 25 percent of the elite endurance athletes had two copies of the X variant, which was only slightly higher than the control group at 18 percent. As a result, it can be inferred that people with two X copies are more likely to be suited for endurance sports. However, there are always those athletes that prove science, and their genetics, wrong. There was a study done on an Olympic long jumper from Spain, who presented no copies of the R variant, indicating that athletic success may be affected by a combination of genes and factors such as environment, training, nutrition and luck.

And so, there is the argument that the test may not be the best approach and is perhaps unnecessary. Some researchers feel that children should be allowed to pick what sport they want to play rather than be pre-picked for a certain sport. Personally, I agree with this school of thought because this is just one study on one of many genes correlated with athletic capability. So it’s still very early to put these studies into effect.

Primary Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/sports/30genetics.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Secondary Article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/89

The Genetics of Being a Daredevil

     Were you ever scared to take off the training wheels? How about go down the big hill? Were you scared to jump out of an airplane? Apparently there could be a genetic reason for why some people are adrenaline junkies and can mindlessly do life-threatening tasks with ease. It was believed that a gene called DRD4 is believed to be involved in developing dopamine receptors, which may lead to the increase in risky behavior. Cynthia Thomson, a graduate student at the University of British Columbia wanted to investigate this further. She wanted to investigate the behaviors of skiing and snowboarding, across the range of different levels of difficulty and thrill in the slope sports. She had volunteers fill out questionnaires, and then swapped their cheeks for DNA to test their DRD4 genes.

     What was found was that there was about a 3 percent difference in the behavior of risk takers and the more mellow people, but it was still statistically significant. Variables controlled were gender and sports exercise. Overall, this could lead to more research about the effects of the DRD4 gene on these activities, perhaps you can predict if your children will be giving you a heart attack every time they go outside and play. 

     Personally I thought this article was interesting because I myself am a risk-taker and don't really think of the consequences of doing something that a normal "ahead of time" thinker would do. I like extreme sports and I enjoy the rush of doing such. I do like the point the article made which was that, "Given no healthy outlet for their sensation seeking, such individuals might turn to more problematic behaviors, like gambling or drugs". Its important that to know that people have to control their behaviors and fill voids when necessary, and predicting if they have an overexcited DRD4 gene may be useful in saving their future. 

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