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Genetic Polymorphisms Associated with Elite Athlete Status

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Sports Performance

Abstract

Variance in human physiological traits is understood to be the result of both environmental and genetic factors. Indeed, it has been reported that 66 % of the variance in athletic status is explained by genetic factors. Elucidating the substantial genetic contribution to elite athletic performance would enhance our understanding of the limits to human performance and improve methods for detecting sports talent. To date, a number of studies have attempted to identify genetic polymorphisms associated with athletic performance, and the number of genetic polymorphisms associated with physical performance-related phenotypes are increasing every year. In this chapter, we introduce some of these studies focusing on mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms and the two most studied nuclear DNA polymorphisms, namely angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) and α-actinin-3 (ACTN3) polymorphisms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ritsumeikan University, Shiga, Japan

    Eri Miyamoto-Mikami

  2. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan

    Eri Miyamoto-Mikami

  3. Juntendo University, Chiba, Japan

    Noriyuki Fuku

  4. Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan

    Masashi Tanaka

Authors
  1. Eri Miyamoto-Mikami
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  2. Noriyuki Fuku
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  3. Masashi Tanaka
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Correspondence to Noriyuki Fuku .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan

    Kazuyuki Kanosue

  2. Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan

    Tomoyuki Nagami

  3. Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan

    Jun Tsuchiya

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Miyamoto-Mikami, E., Fuku, N., Tanaka, M. (2015). Genetic Polymorphisms Associated with Elite Athlete Status. In: Kanosue, K., Nagami, T., Tsuchiya, J. (eds) Sports Performance. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55315-1_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55315-1_10

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