something to chew on

[Denise <denisek@wsu.edu>]

Here is an article I ran across that might be of interest.

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Gene boosts athletic performance

NEW YORK, Feb 09 (Reuters Health) -- People who carry the
longer version of a particular gene have better
endurance, giving them an athletic edge over those who
inherit a shorter version of the gene, new research
suggests.

The gene, known as the ACE gene, for angiotensin-converting
enzyme, is found in muscle. There are two variants of
this gene, with one 287 base pairs longer than the other.

In the February 10th issue of Nature, British researchers
report that among army recruits they studied, those who
had the longer of the two ACE gene variants showed better
muscle performance than recruits without the variant. Dr.
Hugh Montgomery, of the Centre for Cardiovascular Genetics
at London's Rayne Institute, led the study.

Everyone has two ACE genes, Montgomery told Reuters Health.
Half of the population has one of each variant, while
25% have two short ACE genes and 25% have two of the long
variant. The more long ACE genes a person carries,
Montgomery said, the greater the individual's muscle
efficiency.

In the study, the researchers examined whether the longer
ACE gene helps muscles respond to exertion more
efficiently. They asked 58 male army recruits -- 35 with two
longer ACEs and 23 with two of the shorter variant -- to
pedal on stationary bikes at a constant speed for three
3-minute intervals. Subjects' breathing was monitored and
used to calculate how much energy each had to expend to
complete the exercise -- a measure of muscle efficiency.

Before exercising, subjects' muscle efficiency showed no
relation to their particular ACE variants. During the
exercise, however, the long-ACE men clearly had the upper
hand in muscle efficiency, by about 9% over the other
men. In contrast, men with the shorter gene variant saw
their muscle efficiency dip by 0.4% while exercising.

Just why the longer ACE variant boosts muscle performance is
unclear. The longer gene seems to create less
enzyme activity, which may push muscle cells to become more
efficient during exertion, Montgomery suggested.

``When demand is high,'' he said, ``the engine must burn
lean and use less fuel to go the same number of miles.'' In
this scenario, according to Montgomery, muscle cells are the
''fuel-injection system,'' and the longer ACE variant keeps
it running more economically.

These findings also lend some insight into why ACE inhibitor
drugs can effectively treat heart disease, the
researchers note. ''If heart muscle cells are made more
efficient, the heart would have less work to do,''
Montgomery explained. ``And if the heart gets more
efficient, then it could do more work on less fuel.''
SOURCE: Nature 2000;403:614.