Genetics And Performance

performance | Posted by admin June 12th, 2009

Genetics shape us in many ways including our potential to excel in sports. Training, diet, and other factors play a large role in developing our potential, but our genes may also limit performance. You may have the genetic potential for being a champion athlete, but if you live a lifestyle of overeating and no exercise you are unlikely to achieve that potential. On the other hand, someone with limited genetic potential can find ways to compensate and become a solid performer.

Genetics have a large influence over strength, muscle size and muscle fiber composition (fast or slow twitch), anaerobic Threshold, lung capacity, flexibility, and, to some extent, endurance.

One major limitation for endurance athletes is cardiac capacity, or the heart’s ability to deliver enough oxygen (via the bloodstream) to the working skeletal muscles. This, too, is largely determined by genetics.

The other limitation for endurance athletes is the muscles’ ability to effectively use the oxygen and create ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the fuel that allows muscular contraction and movement. The efficiency of this process is measured by something called VO2 max (maximum volume of oxygen).

How Genetics Influence Response to Training
Your genes may also determine how your body responds to training, diet and other external factors.

Research on aerobic endurance shows that some people respond more to training than others. So even if you have a low genetic potential for endurance, you may respond well to training and develop your potential more completely than someone with genetic ‘talent’ who doesn’t respond to training.

Training also increases cardiac efficiency, but the extent of this increase may depend upon genetics. Genetically gifted athletes will have a much greater response to training and will have a large increase in the number of mitochondria in cells. (The mitochondria are organelles in cells that produce the ATP, so the more mitochondria a person has, and the more efficient they are.)

Other Factors That Affect Performance
Characteristics that genetics have less influence over include balance, agility, reaction time and accuracy.

Nutrition also affects performance. This is clear when even the most highly-trained and gifted athlete bonks during an event. Bonking is usually related to running out of glycogen. Athletes can avoid this either by ‘teaching’ the body to burn fat when glycogen stores decrease, or replenishing the body with nutrition during an event.

Mental Skills Training
Practicing mental skills training (including good judgment, learning the tactics and strategies of your sport, and using the right equipment) is another critical component of success that has nothing to do with genetics.

While it is more likely that elite athletes are blessed with great genetics and a great training routine, even recreational athletes can make the most of their ability through optimal conditioning, good nutrition and a positive mental attitude.

By Elizabeth Quinn, at About.com: Sports Medicine

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Telomeres – A Window to Your Cellular Age

Uncategorized | Posted by admin June 10th, 2009

Telomeres are sections of genetic material at the end of each chromosome whose primary function is to prevent chromosomal “fraying” when a cell replicates. As a cell ages, its telomeres become shorter. Eventually, the telomeres become too short to allow cell replication, the cell stops dividing and will ultimately die – a normal biological process. Telomere testing can determine the length of your telomeres in relation to your age. This new technology will determine your telomere score based on the calculated length on white blood cells (T-Lymphocytes). Data is compared to a scores from a moving average population of the general population. The higher the telomere score, the “younger” the cells tested. The telomere score is the best direct method to determine biological age using structural analysis of chromosomes. Serial evaluations of telomere length is an indicator of how rapidly one ages relative to the normal population. Therapies can then be directed at slowing the loss of telomere length thus slowing the aging process and age related diseases.
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Benchmarking Your Functional Nutritional Levels

Fitness, nutrition | Posted by admin May 24th, 2009

Why do a Functional Intracellular Analysis (FIA)

A functional deficiency encompasses any of the factors that reduce the efficacy of a nutrient. Thus, a given nutrient may be present, but it may not be properly activated, appropriately localized or have sufficient cofactors to function at a normal level of activity. No matter what the cause, the result will be a defect in the biochemical pathways that depend upon that nutrient for optimal function. A deficient or defective pathway may operate at a sub-optimal level for many months, or even years, before a clinical symptom becomes apparent.

Nutrient status is a vital foundation of health. Each micronutrient plays an indispensable role in promoting optimal cell function. When some cells do not function at their best, the foundation of our health is compromised, setting the stage for the development of disease. Identifying and correcting nutritional deficiencies is an important step in the long-term maintenance of optimal health.

Vitamin deficiencies aren’t just a reflection of diet. Since we are all biochemically unique, nutrient deficiencies will vary from patient to patient, and do not necessarily correlate directly with nutrient intake, even among those with similar health conditions. Many factors beyond diet determine whether nutrient function is adequate. These include biochemical individuality, genetic predisposition, absorption and metabolism, age, disease conditions and medications.

Lymphocytes are used for analysis

Most lymphocytes obtained by venipuncture are in a resting state in terms of cell division. Since they have a 4 to 6 month lifespan, the nutrient levels accumulated in these lymphocytes represent a history of an individual’s nutrient status. This situation is analogous to using HbA1c measurements to approximate a diabetic person’s glucose levels over the months preceding a test. Thus, lymphocytes provide a history rather than a snapshot of nutrient intake.

Resting lymphocytes can be stimulated by a lymphocyte-specific mitogen to undergo cell division and grow in culture. The degree of growth that the lymphocytes can maintain is directly related to the nutrients they have available. Thus, MicroNutrient Testing provides a functional intracellular assessment of nutrient status accumulated in human lymphocytes over their resting lifespan.

Methodology/Technology

Blood is collected (no fasting is required) and sent to our laboratory. Lymphocyte cells are isolated and grown in a series of patented culture media. The cells are stimulated to grow in the control media containing optimal amounts of specific micronutrients. As each micronutrient is removed from the media, the cells must use their own internal mechanisms (reserves or metabolic processes) to grow. If cells grow optimally, they are functioning adequately and thus are not deficient. If cells do not grow optimally, then a deficiency is indicated. For example, when B12 is removed from the media and cell growth is not sufficient, this indicates that the lymphocyte cells have a functional intracellular deficiency of B12.

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Sports Nutrition: Critical to Athletic Success

nutrition | Posted by admin May 18th, 2009

All athletes strive to compete at the top of their game but, unbeknownst to many of them, their performance relies on their nutritional status. Young athletes with inadequate diets may have insufficient fuel for workouts, nutrient deficiencies that can lead to illness or fatigue, a decrement in bone growth and maintenance, and may not reach their potential for muscle growth. All of these will be reflected in their performance, regardless of their determination.

Despite the recognition that young athletes need to pay greater attention to their fuel consumption, recent research suggests that many youths struggle with energy balance, experiencing an energy deficit or surplus. We are all too familiar with this energy surplus, known as overweight or obesity, but that crisis is not the focus of this article. The concern is that many young athletes require greater amounts of nutrients but remain uninformed or unconcerned about their nutrition needs or simply feel powerless to improve their nutritional status. Young athletes need help to overcome these problems.

The number of young athletes in the United States is increasing and estimates are that approximately 30 to 45 million youths aged 6 to 18 participate in some form of athletics. These young athletes turn to coaches, parents, teammates, and health professionals for nutrition guidance. They can guide athletes to be leaner, stronger, and able to withstand the rigors of training and competition. They can offer superior advice because they are more cognizant of research findings and are equipped with clinical and counseling skills to aid in a young athlete’s quest for improvement. By helping athletes improve their diet, they can eliminate obstacles to better health and nutrition and thereby help athletes push their limits and reach their full potential.

Nutrition professionals can aid young athletes in their quest for victory by recognizing that children and adolescents generally need more calories and protein per pound of body weight than many adults. It is a well-known fact that children need this extra energy to grow, fully develop, and thrive. Nutrient needs further elevate and reach their peak during adolescence. Potential differences in nutrition needs between a typical child or adolescent and an athletic child or adolescent likely exist but are not entirely clear. Limited studies of energy balance in young athletes have been published, and conservative recommendations have been made. But self-reported diet records of young athletes often indicate that intake of energy, carbohydrate, and select micronutrients may be below recommended levels. They must be aware that these deficiencies exist and are especially apparent in athletes involved in sports that focus on body composition and appearance.

Residual nutritional levels of micronutrients can now be baseline measured by new scientific based technology.

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Nutrition – Athletic Performance – Enhances Injury Recovery

nutrition, performance | Posted by admin May 8th, 2009

Scholastic, professional, and recreational athletes may be surprised to learn that nutrition can play a major role in enhancing both performance and the healing of sports injuries.

While ice packs, bandages, rest, and physical therapy are significant in both the short and long-term treatment of injuries such as sprains, strains, cuts and bruises, swelling, and broken bones, researchers are discovering that what an athlete consumes after injury and during the treatment phase can either promote recovery or sometimes delay healing.

The nutrition can not only affect injury rehabilitation positively or negatively, but also aid or hinder the recovery of general and / or chronic muscle or joint soreness following intense exercise workouts, practices, and games. Anti-inflammatory foods and beverages can contribute to the healing of sports injuries are also excellent for post workout / post practice / post game muscle and joint recovery.

The following foods and beverages that have anti-inflammatory qualities and may even accelerate recovery from sports-related or non-athletic injuries:

Grapes, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, kiwis, olive oil, celery, ginger, garlic, curry powder, eggplant, nuts, tuna, salmon, mackerel, black and green tea, and red wine and beer (only when consumed in moderation with food and no more than two alcoholic drinks per day).
Foods rich in vitamin C (citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwis, peppers) and vitamin E (nuts, olive oil) have anti-inflammatory effects. Omega-3 rich fish oil and fatty salt-water fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel) also fight inflammation, besides the wide-spread publicity in recent years of such fish benefiting both heart and brain health.

Another food that has been shown to reduce inflammation is the herb turmeric which is an even better anti-inflammatory than cortisone, one of the most powerful of the steroids.”

Curcumin is found in curry powder, another anti-inflammatory source. Athletes and non-athletes alike who experience chronic shoulder, back and knee pain, for example, may take note of curcumin’s powerful role in easing inflammation.

Another wonderful anti-inflammatory food is eggplant which “contains the important mineral potassium, as well as phytochemicals that have antihistaminic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities.”

To reduce inflammation, athletes and non-athletes must focus on the #1 beverage: drink ample amounts of plain water in practices and games, both in solid form (when ice packs are applied immediately following an injury to prevent inflammation such as swelling) and in liquid form to hasten recovery during injury rehabilitation as well as help heal chronic joint and back pain.

While water might be king beverage on and off the athletic field, athletes and non-athletes should take advantage of the possible anti-inflammatory capacity of another bodybuilding beverage: milk.
Athletes and non-athletes should also monitor their protein intake and note that high-protein diets boost inflammation.

Another area in which nutrition affects inflammation is overeating or consuming excess calories contributing to either obesity or simply becoming overweight with more body fat than lean muscle.
In general, what an athlete consumes in the hours, days and weeks following an injury may indeed determine how fast he or she returns to action. Some foods and beverages can prevent or reduce inflammation, thus speeding the healing process.

To help the athlete on a quicker road to recovery, some simple anti-inflammatory meals may be just what the doctor ordered.

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Vitamin B Deficiency & Poor Athletic Performance Linked

Fitness, performance | Posted by admin April 26th, 2009

Active individuals lacking in B-vitamins – including college athletes and other elite competitors — may perform worse during high-intensity exercise and have a decreased ability to repair and build muscle than counterparts with nutrient-rich diets, according to recent Oregon State University research published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

The B-vitamins include thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, B-12 and folate. These micronutrients are necessary during the body’s process for converting proteins and sugars into energy, and are used during the production and repair of cells, including red blood cells. For active individuals a marginal deficiency in the nutrients may impact the body’s ability to repair itself, operate efficiently and fight disease. The stress on the body’s energy producing pathways during exercise, the changes in the body’s tissues resulting from training, an increase in the loss of nutrients in sweat, urine and feces during and after strenuous activity and the additional nutrients needed to repair and maintain higher levels of lean tissue mass present in some athletes and individuals may all affect an individual’s B-vitamin requirements.

“Many athletes, especially young athletes involved in highly competitive sports, do not realize the impact their diets have on their performance. By the time they reach adulthood they can have seriously jeopardized their abilities and their long-term health.”

Current national B-vitamin recommendations for active individuals may be inadequate, and athletes who follow the recommended daily allowances set by the U.S. government may be receiving lower amounts of nutrients than their bodies need. Athletes who restrict calories or limit food groups like dairy or meat have an increased chance of deficiency. Such athletes are often concerned about maintaining a low body weight for sports like gymnastics and wrestling.

The B-vitamins are in whole and enriched grains, dark green vegetables, nuts, and many animal and dairy products. It is suggested athletes and individuals with poor or restricted diets consider taking a multivitamin or mineral supplement.

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Article adapted from original press release by Medical News Today

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Nutrition as a Risk Factor for Injury in Elite Athletes

Recovery - Repair | Posted by admin April 20th, 2009

During the past two decades there have been scientific breakthroughs in understanding the role human metabolism plays in exercise, physical performance and athletic injuries. Studies have shown that specific forms of dietary behaviors may potentially be linked to health benefits or problems and their association to athletic performance. The field of sports nutrition has indicated that athletes have greater demands for macro and micronutrients than inactive humans. These findings have dictated the dietary recommendations of individuals participating in sports. This innovative and intergraded science has shifted from practical studies investigating the effects of dietary restrictions and supplementation, to the direct investigation of the biochemical basis of specific nutritional demands for elite performance and injury mechanics.

As sport induced injuries are on the rise, sports medicine specialists and sports nutritionists have been trying to determine how nutrition is related to injury. As human performance becomes more advanced and elite athletes are becoming more dependent on their team nutritionist, it is becoming evident that proper nutrition is essential for proper performance during practice and competition. Specific nutrients are critically important for enhancing the quality of performance, conditioning, practice time, recovery from fatigue, and avoiding sports induced injuries. For an athlete, improving biomechanical performance and avoiding the disturbance of homeostasis by strenuous demands by their specific sport is crucial. Since athletes require more nutrients than the recommended daily allowances (RDAs), it is important that they not only eat a well-balanced diet consisting of carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals, but meet the nutritional demands and supplementation required before and after rigorous exercise.

Reference: “Injuries in Athletics: Causes and Consequences”
SpringerLink
Note:
Residual Levels of vital body cell nutrients, vitamins and minerals can be quantified by Functional Intracellular Analysis (FIA)

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Food For Thought . . .

Fitness, performance | Posted by admin April 16th, 2009

The link between genetic variations and adverse health outcomes during the various stages of life, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and neurodegenerative disease is compelling. By adjusting your lifestyle, you can have a great impact on how your genes work and compensate for areas in which you are genetically predisposed to functioning at an altered level.

Over the past few decades, epidemiological, clinical and mechanistic studies have indicated many relationships between nutrition and health. For example, links have been established between dietary habits and degenerative diseases like cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Ref: Natural Health Solutions – Research

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A Mystery May be Unfolding . . .

Fitness, performance | Posted by admin April 12th, 2009

It is believed to be a top athlete you need the right genes. One gene which has been shown to play a role in elite athletic endurance has been discovered. It’s called the ACE gene, because it codes for the enzyme that activates the hormone angiotensin–ACE is short for angiotensin converting enzyme.

A group working in London knew that ACE is active in muscle tissue, where it regulates blood flow, so they figured it might have a role in endurance performance. They knew that the gene comes in two forms–I (for insertion) and D (for deletion)–so they did a study to find out if endurance athletes are more likely to have one or other form. The athletes they chose were elite mountaineers who could ascend above 7000 m without oxygen. Bingo! The I form was much more prevalent amongst the mountaineers than in the general population. What’s more, the mountaineers who could go to the highest altitudes without oxygen had two copies of the I form (one from mom and one from dad). The researchers then showed that the I form of the gene produced a greater response to strength-endurance training in army recruits: after a 10-week training program, time to exhaustion in a weighted elbow-flexion exercise lasting 2 min increased by only 6% in the recruits with two copies of the D form, by 21% in those with an I and a D, and by 66% in those with two Is. The findings were published in the May 21 issue of Nature (Montgomery et al., 1998). Two months later an Australian group reported that the I form of the ACE gene was much more frequent amongst elite rowers than in the general population (Gayagay et al., 1998).

There are several important implications. First, athletes in endurance sports will show a better response to training if they have two copies of the I form of the ACE gene, so it won’t be long before talent identification includes DNA testing. Will that be any different from selecting on the basis of maximum oxygen uptake? Secondly, other genes predictive of athletic potential will soon be discovered, but no gene will ever substitute for hard training, good coaching, and good sport-science support. Finally, sport scientists doing training studies with endurance athletes should think seriously about getting their subjects DNA tested, because the presence of the I form will help explain individual differences in the response to training.

Reference: Will G Hopkins PhD, Physiology and Physical Education, University of Otago, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand.

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Components of Fitness & Performance . . .

Fitness, performance | Posted by admin April 9th, 2009

Following are the Components of Physical Fitness :

1. Speed: The speed is the ability of a person, vehicle movements at high speed in the shortest time. It is equal to the distance, per unit of time. the element of speed is in most of the athletic skills like running a sprint, some skills of football, basketball, etc.

2.Strength: Strength is the ability of a muscle to become experts or released by the contraction force a person to overcome resistance or opposition.

3. Power: Power is the ability of muscles to maximum effect in the shortest time. It is equal to force multiplied by speed. It is the combination of strength and speed. Speed and power are combined for a high performance in activities such as baseball throw, jump for height, soccer kick, punch boxes, etc.

4. Stamina: Stamina is the ability of the person to move moderate (sub-maximum) contractions over a longer period under the terms of exhaustion or fatigue. It is the product of all the mental and physical energy of the human body.

5. Flexibility: Flexibility is the ability of muscles to move with a large range of motion.

6. Agility: Agility is the ability to change a person or position in space to change directions quickly and as effectively as football player quickly changes direction, or the opponents dodge, barrier crossing of the barrier or barriers, zig-zag running, etc.

7. Balance: Balance is the ability of a person to control the human body or to maintain balance under static and dynamic conditions, such as hand, skating, skiing, catch a fly in baseball, etc.

Reference citation: Sports & Recreation – Free Blog

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