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Do Women ACE Exercise?

© Laura Ruth

As a few more pieces of DNA are sequenced every day in the year 2000, people wonder what gene trait will be discovered that day. Knowledge about the ACE gene and exercise is an active area of research. ACE stands for angiotensin-converting enzyme. ACE is located in skeletal muscle and plays a role in a person's cardiovascular fitness.

Different research groups around the world are investigating the role of the ACE gene in exercise. According to H. Montgomery from the Cardiovascular Genetics Center in the UK, everyone has two ACE genes, and there are two types of ACE genes. There is a long ACE gene (I) and a short ACE gene (D). The 'I' gene is 287 base pairs longer than the 'D' gene. Since the 'I' gene is longer than the 'D' gene, the 'I' gene is called the 'insertion' gene and the 'D' gene is called the deletion gene. Applying simple genetic population genetic principles, 50% of the population carries the genes ID, 25% of the population carry II genes, and 25% of the population carry DD genes. Therefore, researchers would like to know if the ACE genotype affects a person's cardiovascular fitness.

Recent published research shows a variety of results about ACE genotypes and the association with cardiovascular fitness levels in different populations of people. In 1998, H. Montgomery and colleagues in the UK found that significantly more elite British male mountaineers had the 'II' ACE homozygous insertion. In the same study, qualified UK army males did not show any difference in their ACE genotype compared to unqualified UK army males. The ACE I allele genotype of 404 Olympic-standard athletes from 19 other sports other than mountaineering, where endurance is not considered a critical factor, did not differ from controls.

In 2000, Montgomery and colleagues confirmed and furthered the previous ACE research knowledge. The English group of scientists measured the efficiency of oxygen uptake of the II and DD genotype in Caucasian army recruits and showed that the II ACE allele improves mechanical efficiency of muscles. The English study does not, however, make any statements about the 'ID' ACE genotype and mechanical efficiency of muscle. Interestingly, researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana found no association of the ID genotype in both Caucasian and black parents and offspring.

As the knowledge about the ACE genotype and cardiovascular fitness continues, comparing the role of the ACE genotype in the cardiovascular fitness of men and women is both useful and interesting.

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