How does the R577X variant affect sporting performance?
Working in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Sport, the University of Sydney and the Australian National University tested more than 300 elite level athletes, including 50 Olympians to see what version of the ACTN3 gene they carried – the normal type, or the R577X variant. The athletes were selected form a diverse range of sporting disciplines and categorised as either sprint/power or endurance specialists. Sprint/power specialists included elite athletes competing in judo, speed skating and short distance swimming, track and cycling events. Athletes classified as endurance specialists came from disciplines such as rowing, cross-country skiing and long distance swimming, cycling and track events. The researchers then compared results of these two groups to the results from over 400 unrelated control individuals. The researchers found that the presence of the normal variant (and thus the absence of the R577X variant) in both copies of an individual’s ACTN3 gene, is signific
