The ACE I/D polymorphism in elite Greek track and field athletes

The aim of this study was to examine genetic differences among 101 elite Greek track and field athletes and a representative random control group of 181 Greek individuals, by analyzing the I/D polymorphism in exon 16 of the ACE gene.

Athletes were defined as elite and included in the sample if they had been chosen to represent Greece at the international level. Amplification of DNA was carried out by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The protein C reactive (PCR) products were separated by electrophoresis on agarose gel and were visualized by UV light. To avoid misclassification of ID genotypes, a second PCR was performed using specific primers.

The ACE genotype and allele frequencies in the top power and endurance oriented athletes were not statistically significant different from those in a representative random sample of the Greek population. There was found only a trend towards an increased in frequency of the ACE DD genotype in the sprinters group (55.88% vs. 31.49%).

The results suggest weak evidence that the ACE DD genotype could influence sprint performance in Greek athletes.