FAAH rs324420 polymorphism is associated with performance in elite rink-hockey players

• Published in: Biology (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 11; no. 7; p. 1076
• Main Authors: Silva, Hugo-Henrique, Tavares, Valéria, Silva, Maria Raquel, Neto, Beatriz Vieira, Cerqueira, Fátima, Medeiros, Rui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI 20.07.2022; MDPI AG
• Subjects: Alleles; Athletes; Competition; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Elite athlete; Endurance; Fatty-acid amide hydrolase; Gene; Gene polymorphism; Genetic diversity; Genetic factors; Genetic testing; Genotyping; Hockey; Hydrolase; Polymorphism; rink-hockey; Sport; Sports injuries; Stress; Stress response; Success; Teams; Tournaments & championships; Transcription factors; Vitamin D receptors; Portugal; Germany; performance; gene; success; elite athlete; polymorphism; rink-hockey; sport
• ISSN: 2079-7737; 2079-7737
• DOI: 10.3390/biology11071076

Genetic factors are among the major contributors to athletic performance. Although more than 150 genetic variants have been correlated with elite athlete status, genetic foundations of competition-facilitating behavior influencing elite performances are still scarce. This is the first study designed to examine the distribution of genetic determinants in the athletic performance of elite rink-hockey players. A total of 116 of the world’s top best rink-hockey players (28.2 ± 8.7 years old; more than 50% are cumulatively from the best four world teams and the best five Portuguese teams), who participated at the elite level in the National Rink-Hockey Championship in Portugal, were evaluated in anthropometric indicators/measurements, training conditions, sport experience and sport injuries history. Seven genetic polymorphisms were analyzed. Polymorphism genotyping was performed using the TaqMan® Allelic Discrimination Methodology. Rink-hockey players demonstrated significantly different characteristics according to sex, namely anthropometrics, training habits, sports injuries and genetic variants, such as Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) rs731236 (p < 0.05). The Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) rs324420 A allele was significantly associated with improved athletic performance (AA/AC vs. CC, OR = 2.80; 95% Cl, 1.23–6.35; p = 0.014; p = 0.008 after Bootstrap) and confirmed as an independent predictor among elite rink-hockey players (adjusted OR = 2.88; 95% Cl, 1.06–7.80; p = 0.038). Our results open an interesting link from FAAH-related biology to athletic performance.