Nutrigenetic Markers Related to Nutrient Metabolism, Recovery, and Performance in Athletes: a Review of Current...

This review aimed to evaluate current evidence regarding genetic markers associated with athletic performance, recovery, injury susceptibility, nutrient metabolism, responsiveness to ergogenic aids, and dietary behaviour in athletes.

Classical candidate-gene studies and contemporary genome-wide investigations have identified numerous genetic variants associated with power and endurance performance, skeletal muscle capillarization, cardiac adaptation, energy metabolism, and injury susceptibility. Variants related to carbohydrate, fat, and branched-chain amino acid metabolism may contribute to inter-individual differences in substrate utilization and exercise responses. Genetic markers associated with iron, folate, and vitamin D metabolism, as well as variants influencing caffeine metabolism and sensitivity, are also relevant to sports nutrigenetics. However, differences in sample characteristics, ancestry, sport discipline, and exercise protocols limit the consistency and generalizability of the available findings. Athletic performance and nutritional responses are polygenic and multifactorial traits. Therefore, no single genetic variant should be considered an independent determinant of performance capacity or nutritional requirements. Genetic information should be interpreted together with dietary intake, biochemical indicators, training characteristics, clinical status, and individual tolerance. Current evidence remains insufficient to support the routine use of nutritional or supplementation strategies based solely on genotype.