Original scientific paper

Hakan Dakilir¹ , Mesut Cerit² , Didem Çatalo³ , Murat Anilir⁴ , Metin Dalip⁵ 

 https://doi.org/10.46733/PESH25141123d

Abstract

The ACE gene, extensively studied in the context of athletic performance development, has shown a substantial influence on physical performance. The ACE gene encodes the angiotensin-converting enzyme, which has a vital function in regulating blood pressure by controlling the amounts of body fluids. Elevated levels of ACE enzyme activity result in vasoconstriction, impeding the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to cells, thereby diminishing endurance during prolonged periods of physical effort. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential influence of ACE gene polymorphism on the performance of non-elite male athletes in the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test (Level 2). A total of 53 male athletes who were not considered to be elite took part in this study. Among them were 30 basketball players and 23 volleyball players. We performed the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test (Level 2) at both the beginning and the end of the 6-week study to evaluate the levels of anaerobic and aerobic power, as well as recovery. The genotyping technique employed either the KASP genotyping approach or microarray analysis. We employed the Independent and Dependent Groups T tests to evaluate differences between the groups and measure changes within the group over a specific time period. Furthermore, the Chi Square Test was employed to assess the disparities in ACE genotype frequencies across the populations. The ACE genotype distributions of the entire cohort were assessed, and the disparities between the basketball and volleyball branches were analyzed. The basketball team exhibited a genotype distribution of 46.7% for ID, 33.3% for DD, and 20.0% for II. The volleyball group had a genotype distribution of 47.8% for ID, 39.1% for DD, and 13.0% for II. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the genotype frequencies between the two groups. This study found that non-elite male athletes with ACE ID and DD genotypes showed better performance improvement compared to those with II genotypes during short-term and intermittent high-intensity maximum efforts. Additionally, the ACE gene polymorphisms exhibited a linear distribution, with ID ³ DD > II.

Key words: ACE, Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test (Level 2), anaerobic performance.
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