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Published on: June 16, 2021
Elite collegiate tennis athletes have lower 2D: 4D ratios than those of nonathlete controls
Cheng-Chen Hsu1, Borcherng Su, Nai-Wen Kan
11Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; 2Department of Pathology, Hualien Tzu Chi Medical Center, Hualien, Taiwan; 3Center for Liberal Arts, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; 4Department of Sports Training Science-Balls, National Taiwan Sport University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; and 5Department of Sports Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Abstract:
The ratio of the length of the second finger (index finger) to the fourth finger (ring finger) (2D:4D ratio) is a putative marker for prenatal hormones. Physiological research has suggested a low 2D:4D ratio correlates with high athletic ability. Athletes of specific sports (e.g., American football) have lower 2D:4D ratios than those of nonathletes, whereas athletes of some sports (e.g., rowing, gymnastics, and soccer) do not. This study investigated the 2D:4D ratios among collegiate tennis athletes, elite collegiate tennis athletes, and nonelite collegiate tennis athletes and compared them with nonathletes of both sexes. The participants included 43 elite collegiate tennis athletes (Level I intercollegiate athletes in Taiwan; 27 males and 16 females), 107 nonelite collegiate tennis athletes (Level II athletes; 55 males and 52 females), and 166 nonathlete college students (80 males and 86 females). The principle findings suggest that (a) regardless of sex, collegiate tennis athletes have lower 2D:4D values than those of nonathletes; (b) elite collegiate tennis athletes have lower 2D:4D values than those of nonathletes; (c) among females but not males, athletes and nonelite athletes have lower 2D:4D values than those of nonathletes; and (d) males have lower 2D:4D values than those of females.
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