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JOURNAL
OF
SPORTS SCIENCE &
MEDICINE
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Research
article
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ANGIOTENSIN-CONVERTING ENZYME GENOTYPE AFFECTS SKELETAL MUSCLE STRENGTH IN ELITE ATHLETES |
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Aldo Matos Costa1,2,6  ,
António José Silva2,3, Nuno Domingos Garrido2,3, Hugo
Louro2,4, Daniel Almeida Marinho1,2, Mário Cardoso
Marques1,2 and Luiza Breitenfeld5,6 |
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1Department of Sports Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal, 2CIDESD, Research Centre in Sports, Health and Human Development, Vila Real, Portugal, 3Department of Sports, Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal, 4Sports Science Institute of Rio Maior, Rio Maior, Portugal, 5Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal, 6CICS, Health Sciences Research Centre, Covilhã, Portugal. |
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© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2009) 8, 410 - 418 |
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| ABSTRACT | |||
| Previous studies have associated angiotensin-converting enzyme
(ACE) D allele with variability in the skeletal muscle baseline strength,
though conclusions have been inconsistent across investigations. The purpose
of this study was to examine the possible association between ACE genotype
and skeletal muscle baseline strength in elite male and female athletes
involved in different event expertise. A group of 58 elite athletes, designated
as Olympic candidates, were studied: 35 swimmers (19 males and 16 females,
18.8 ± 3.2 years) and 23 triathletes (15 males and 8 females, 18.7 ± 3.0
years). The athletes were classified as: short (< 200m) and middle (400m
to 1500m) distance athletes, respectively. For each subject the grip strength
in both hands was measure using an adjustable mechanical hand dynamometer.
The maximum height in both squat jump (SJ) and counter movement jump (CMJ)
were also assessed, using a trigonometric carpet (Ergojump Digitime 1000;
Digitest, Jyvaskyla, Finland). DNA extraction was obtained with Chelex 100®
and genotype determination by PCR-RFLP methods. Both males and females showed
significantly higher right grip strength in D allele carriers compared to
II homozygote's. We found that allelic frequency differs significantly by
event distance specialization in both genders (p < 0.05). In fact, sprinter
D allele carriers showed the superior scores in nearly all strength measurements
(p < 0.05), in both genders. Among endurance athletes, the results also
demonstrated that female D allele carriers exhibited the higher performance
right grip and CMJ scores (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the ACE D allele
seems associated with skeletal muscle baseline strength in elite athletes,
being easily identified in females.
Key words: Swimming; triathlon; genetic polymorphism; sport performance. |
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