PPARα gene variation and physical performance in Russian athletes

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor a (PPAR alpha ) regulates genes responsible for skeletal and heart muscle fatty acid oxidation. Previous studies have shown that the PPARa intron 7 G/C polymorphism was associated with left ventricular growth in response to exercise. We speculated that GG homozygotes should be more prevalent within a group of endurance-oriented athletes, have normal fatty acid metabolism, and increased percentages of slow-twitch fibers. We have tested this hypothesis in the study of a mixed cohort of 786 Russian athletes in 13 different sporting disciplines prospectively stratified by performance (endurance-oriented athletes, power-oriented athletes and athletes with mixed endurance/power activity). PPARa intron 7 genotype and allele frequencies were compared to 1,242 controls. We found an increasing linear trend of C allele with increasing anaerobic component of physical performance (P=0.029). GG genotype frequencies in endurance-oriented and power-oriehted athletes were 80.3 and 50.6%, respectively, and were significantly (P