Genes of Chelyabinsk champions
Are there "sports" genes?
Dmitry Dyatlov, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Vice-Rector for Research at the Ural State University of Physical Culture
At the end of the 80s of the last century, within the framework of the Human Genome project, data on genes associated with the manifestation and development of human physical qualities began to appear. As of 2009, 239 marker genes of human physical activity have already been detected, and progress in the discovery of new genes is obvious.
The very first works in Russia to study the hereditary predisposition of athletes to physical exertion were started in 1999 at the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Physical Culture, under the guidance of Professor V.A. Rogozkin. Thanks to this, in Russia and abroad, it has become well known to all highly qualified specialists in the field of physical culture and sports that a person's predisposition to perform muscular activity of various directions is genetically programmed. It should be noted that the discrepancy between the level of physical activity and the genetic predisposition of an athlete can lead to a slowdown in the growth of his sports results and even to a deterioration in health.
During examinations of athletes in the laboratory of Sports Genetics of the Research Institute of Olympic Sports (NIIOS) Ural State University of Physical Culture evaluates their predisposition to exercise based on polymorphism (diversity) of certain genes. This is a component of a genetic predisposition that does not change throughout a person's life. For example, various forms of the same gene (alleles) have been identified, associated with the peculiarities of carbohydrate or lipid metabolism and, accordingly, determining the predisposition of the body engaged in aerobic (endurance sports) or anaerobic (speed-strength sports) mechanisms of energy supply.
There are also alleles of different sites that limit human physical activity by reducing or increasing the intensity of gene inclusion. The consequence of such a restriction is, at best, the cessation of the growth of sports results, at worst, the development of pathological conditions, for example, excessive hypertrophy of the left ventricular myocardium.
It must be remembered that the genetically programmed abilities of an athlete cannot be radically changed during training. It is ridiculous to think that the genes of a hockey player, boxer or skier can exist in nature. With the help of genetic tests, not a sport is chosen, but a predisposition to a certain type of muscular work, the makings for the manifestation of physical qualities (speed, strength, endurance). On the other hand, when bringing a child to the section, parents very often see that some children perform movements and individual exercises better (less time is spent on mastering them), and others worse. Accordingly, some children later have an interest in classes, while others do not. And it may take a long time before everyone finally decides what to do for the child. This is where the coach can play a major role. Only he can prove in practice all the advantages of the genetic testing method, help the child develop certain physical qualities, and in the future determine what kind of sport it is better for him to do.
But why isn't everything so simple in practice? The fact is that today there is still some difficulty in assessing the genetic predisposition of a child (adult) to perform a certain type of physical activity, which consists in the fact that any physical quality of a person is determined not by one gene, but by a large number of polymorphic (diverse) genes. Also, it is not yet possible with the help of genetic tests to accurately (or with a high degree of probability) measure the passion, will, character of an athlete that make him great.
But sports genetics does not stand still. Coaches abroad, together with specialists in sports genetics and medicine, have already developed approaches that can be used to improve the accuracy of genetic prediction. At the moment, everyone who deals with this problem notes that it is better to have a set of marker genes indicating the genetic predisposition of a child (adult) to a certain type of muscular activity. In such children, the coach, guided by the results of their genetic analysis and performance, will find it easier and faster to develop those motor qualities (speed, strength, endurance) that determine success in the chosen sport. Ie, such children already have some advantages over others from the moment of birth, and the coach needs to properly train such children.
It should be noted that the scientific research of researchers in the field of sports genetics is conducted not only in the direction of expanding the list of genes that determine the development of physical qualities, but also expanding the understanding of the role of each gene in the adaptation of the body to other activities.
We started our practical work with a survey of 210 young and highly qualified athletes engaged in various sports in the city of Chelyabinsk and beyond (hockey, swimming, handball, speed skating). We tried to compare the existing selection system with genetic markers of physical activity. It was found that the pedagogical, physiological and other tests used in the selection of children in groups for individual sports do not always fully correspond to the identified genetic predisposition of athletes to perform physical exercises of various directions, which, in turn, has a significant impact on the success of their competitive activities.
When we started our work in 2006, like all researchers, we set ourselves only one task – to develop a new technology for the earliest selection of children in various sports based on their genetic predisposition. Research in recent years has revealed other extremely important areas of practical use of DNA technologies in sports - improving the sportsmanship of qualified athletes: clarifying specialization in the chosen sport and correcting the training process, increasing muscle mass and reducing excess weight. Methods of molecular genetics can be successfully applied in the field of mass physical culture: in fitness and bodybuilding.
However, recently, scientists in the field of sports genetics have increasingly come to the conclusion that the main direction of research should be not so much the study of the molecular mechanisms of inheritance of sports inclinations, as the study of the ability to preserve the health of an athlete in the process of adapting his body to prolonged high-intensity physical exertion.
The development of specific training programs taking into account the individual characteristics of each athlete or group of athletes with genetic data will undoubtedly lead to an increase in their athletic achievements, will open up wide opportunities for further improvement. Currently, the joint work of the staff of the sports genetics laboratory of the UralGUFC Research Institute with the coaches of the city of Chelyabinsk in various sports is underway, but, unfortunately, only within the framework of their own initiative. A striking example in the implementation of the results of genetic research in sports for us is the high achievements of the national teams of China and the USA.
With the rapid increase in the number of genes-markers of human physical activity, the lack of data on the functions of genes and, above all, on the functional significance of the polymorphisms that they contain becomes more and more obvious.
About 1,700 different competitions in 90 sports are held annually in the Chelyabinsk region. Only in our city there are about 40 sports schools that are different in their subordination. According to various sources, about 31 thousand children are engaged in them, and about 77 thousand children are engaged throughout the Chelyabinsk region. Together, we could be among the first among the cities of Russia to compile a genetic map of children and adults engaged in sports in the city of Chelyabinsk, and in the future, the Chelyabinsk region. In the future, these joint efforts would allow us to optimize the system of selection and training of athletes, create a database for Olympic and other elite sports, and act reasonably when determining priority sports.
Already, DNA technologies in the field of physical culture and sports allow not only to identify the hereditary predisposition of an athlete to the development and manifestation of various physical qualities, but also to assess the genetic risk factors of various pathological conditions and diseases of the cardiovascular, muscular, bone, immune and endocrine systems of an athlete; to determine the peculiarities of metabolism in the athlete's body of different foods, biologically active additives, violations of the detoxification processes of drugs and xenobiotics. All this makes it possible to increase the reliability and efficiency of the system of individual specialization and training of highly qualified athletes.
The concept of "High achievements at any cost" should be replaced by the concept of "High achievements due to high adaptive capabilities predicted on the basis of complex molecular genetic testing, in close relationship with other areas of medical knowledge (physiology, immunology, biochemistry, etc., etc.)".
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25.09.2009