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Excerpt
It has been suggested that genetic variation at the ACE locus is associated with the performance phenotypes. However, problems with sample size, study designs and performance phenotypes cast doubt on these findings. We studied the association between the ACE insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and several cardiorespiratory phenotypes measured before and after 20 weeks of endurance training in 474 sedentary Caucasians and 248 Blacks. Phenotypes measured were oxygen uptake and heart rate (HR) during maximal and submaximal (50 W, 60 % and 80 % of VO2max) exercise, maximal work rate (Wmax), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, rate pressure product (RPP), stroke volume and cardiac output during submaximal exercise (50 W and 60 %). The ACE I/D polymorphism was typed with the three-primer PCR method. Out of 184 tests performed on 46 phenotypes in 4 groups of participants, only five showed significant (p-values from 0.042 to 0.0008) associations with the ACE I/D polymorphism. In contrast to previous claims, in Caucasian offspring, the D/D homozygotes showed a 14 to 32 % greater increase in VO2max, VO2 at 80% and Wmax, and a 23 to 35% greater decrease in HR and RPP at 50 W than the I/I homozygotes. No associations were evident in Caucasian parents or Black parents or offspring. Thus, these data do not support the hypothesis that the I/I homozygotes of the ACE I/D polymorphism are more responsive to exercise training or that the ACE I/D polymorphism plays a major role in endurance performance.
