AQP-1 association with body fluid loss in 10-km runners

Intrinsic body fluid regulation is critical for optimizing endurance performance. Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of transmembrane proteins that transport water and glycerol across cellular membranes. A recent report revealed an association between a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the 3' untranslated region of the aquaporin-1 (AQP1) gene and endurance performance. The purpose of the study was to explore the association between the AQP1 SNP and acute body fluid loss in long distance runners. The subjects (N=91, Age=26±3 yrs; Ht=170±11 cm; Wt=61±5 kg; mean±SD) were biologically unrelated male long distance runners. Data were collected before and after an international 10 km road race. Body fluid loss was determined by the difference between nude body weight before and after the 10 km run. The AQP1 (G→C) gene variation was detected by the ARMS-PCR procedure. Genotypes were determined by PCR product size. Carriers of the AQP1 SNP had a significantly greater adjusted body fluid loss (3.7±0.9 kg) than non-carriers (1.5±1.1 kg) (P<0.05). In conclusion, our study found an association between the AQP1 SNP and acute body fluid loss in long distance runners.