DNA Testing to Improve Performance
The power to excel lies within your genes. Let Athleticode help you unleash it.
Thanks to recent technological advances, we’ve seen the emergence of powerful new tools for DNA testing in athletes.
Understanding Your DNA
How does Athleticode conduct DNA testing in athletes? First, you must understand the basics of DNA:
- The DNA in your genome is assembled much like a book.
- Four letters — A, C, G and T — comprise the DNA “alphabet.”
- Your genome exists as a pair of Codes, one inherited from your mother and one from your father.
- At each variable location, two letters form one of three possible Code combinations (for example, GG, GT or TT). The identity of the Code at each location also is established through heredity.
Over the years, genetic studies have been performed on thousands of athletes. The studies have found some Code combinations are associated with a higher or lower incidence of certain types of injuries as well as running endurance.
Now that you understand the basics, let’s examine some genes that are particularly important to runners and endurance athletes…
Know Your Code
By gaining knowledge about your own performance Code, you can make adjustments to your training regimen that will improve your performance.
- Studies in athletes show that performance areas such as marathon race time are associated with specific gene Codes overseeing the make-up of collagen present in tendons and ligaments.
- Marathon race differences of up to 13 minutes have been associated with the presence among athletes of specific Codes.
- Other Codes have been shown to be associated with performance traits such as sprinting.