title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme genotype and physical performance during US Army basic training.
abstract: Prior studies have suggested that angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) genotype correlates with superior physical performance in highly selected populations. This study assessed whether such an association exists in a heterogeneous population. Using polymerase chain reaction techniques, we determined the ACE genotypes (insertion/insertion, deletion/insertion, or deletion/deletion) of 62 male and 85 female US Army recruits. Before and after 8 wk of basic training, we determined peak oxygen uptake and performance on the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), which includes standardized measures of muscular endurance (sit-ups, push-ups) and a 2-mile run. Subjects of different ACE genotypes had similar peak oxygen uptakes and APFT scores, both before and after training. Subjects with genotype II had higher APFT scores than others, but the differences were not statistically significant. Furthermore, no ACE genotype group had a performance advantage in analyses that adjusted for baseline fitness. We conclude that ACE genotype does not have a strong effect on aerobic power or muscular endurance in healthy, young American adults drawn from an ethnically and geographically diverse population.
authors.affiliation: Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts 01760, USA. larry.sonna@na.amedd.army.mil
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Sonna
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Knapik
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cullivan
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Angel
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Patton
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lilly
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000235:genetics; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics*; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A