Familial aggregation of VO(2max) response to exercise training: results from the HERITAGE Family Study.
The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that individual differences in the response of maximal O(2) uptake (VO(2max)) to a standardized training program are characterized by familial aggregation. A total of 481 sedentary adult Caucasians from 98 two-generation families was exercise trained for 20 wk and was tested for VO(2max) on a cycle ergometer twice before and twice after the training program. The mean increase in VO(2max) reached approximately 400 ml/min, but there was considerable heterogeneity in responsiveness, with some individuals experiencing little or no gain, whereas others gained >1.0 l/min. An ANOVA revealed that there was 2.5 times more variance between families than within families in the VO(2max) response variance. With the use of a model-fitting procedure, the most parsimonious models yielded a maximal heritability estimate of 47% for the VO(2max) response, which was adjusted for age and sex with a maternal transmission of 28% in one of the models. We conclude that the trainability of VO(2max) is highly familial and includes a significant genetic component.
Bouchard
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C
Physical Activity Sciences Laboratory, Laval University, Ste-Foy, Québec, Canada G1K 7P4. Claude.Bouchard@kin.msp.ulaval.ca
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Rice
T
T
Skinner
J S
JS
Wilmore
J H
JH
Gagnon
J
J
Pérusse
L
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Leon
A S
AS
Rao
D C
DC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D015308:Anaerobic Threshold / Q000235:genetics*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics