Genes and Sport: Are you a born athlete? Your genes play a role…

Author: Kate Scott (DipCNM, mBANT, rCNHC, mIFM, Nutrigenomics Specialist)

Love him or hate him, Australia’s Nick Kyrgios sure brought the entertainment factor to Wimbledon over these past few weeks with his passionate monologues and breaking the strict all-white dress code by appearing on the court in bright red trainers and cap. Kyrgios also battled through a shoulder injury in the quarter-finals, going on to meet Novak Djokovic in the finals thanks to Rafael Nadal pulling out of the tournament due to an abdominal injury. Of course, at this level of professional sport, athletes push their bodies way beyond the normal limits, increasing their chances of getting injured. Studies have shown that approximately 30-50% of all sports-related soft tissue injuries affect tendons and ligaments. Our genes play a large role in determining our risk of, or robustness to injury, our natural ability towards certain types of sport, and even our motivation and temperament.

The role of specific genes

The COL1A1 gene is responsible for producing type 1 collagen. Collagens are a family of proteins that strengthen and support many tissues in the body, including cartilage, bone, tendons, ligaments, skin and the white part of the eye called the sclera. People born with a certain version of COL1A1 are more prone to developing osteoporosis, ACL (a ligament in the knee) ruptures, Achilles tendon ruptures (ATR), shoulder dislocations and tennis elbow. On the other hand, people born with another version of the COL1A1 gene have been found to be less prone to injury.

The version of a gene you inherit is called your genotype. You have a genotype for pretty much everything that happens in your body. There are genotypes that make some people better at speed-related sports like sprinting or less adapted to endurance sports. There are genotypes that control your body’s ability to use carbohydrates or fat as fuel. There are genotypes that increase your need for specific nutrients like vitamins A and D. There are genotypes that influence your ability to cope under pressure. There’s even a genotype that influences your motivation to exercise in the first place. From a simple cheek swab, we can determine all these things and so much more. Find out more by ordering your DNApal Test.

Genes alone are not your destiny

 Although your genes play a large role in determining so many things, they are also highly influenced – for better or worse – by your lifestyle. This means that what you eat and drink, how you train, your environment, relationships, sleep quality and stress levels all play a part. This is great news! It means your genes aren’t necessarily your destiny and this is why we do what we do. Understanding where you might need a bit of extra support from a genetic perspective helps us to pinpoint the exact diet and lifestyle interventions you need to implement or avoid.

For example, if you are not born with the natural ability to build more fast twitch muscle fibre, this doesn’t mean your dreams of becoming a sprinter are dashed. You can still train your way into increasing the size and strength of your fast twitch muscles. You’ll just need to work a bit harder than someone who was born with natural fast-twitch dominance.

On the other hand, you could be born with the natural ability but if you don’t train, you won’t beat the competition who does. You may not be born with the injury-protective version of COL1A1 but knowing you’re more prone to injury means you can take protective measures like warming up before training and taking a vitamin C supplement that will support the healthy production of collagen.

Finally, you may have the genotype that leads to a reduced ability to deal with stress but taking the right supporting nutrients like magnesium and implementing some healthy stress-management techniques could avoid throwing tantrums at the poor umpire. We’re looking at you, Mr, Kyrgios.

Research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5432363/

Feel free to leave us a comment if you have any further questions.

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