Can a DNA Test Tell You Your Athletic Inclinations? - The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has developed a few and has been testing whether or not they can be used to help train their athletes. The AIS use DNA profiling through 12 gene tests to determine what type of athletic endeavors an individual is best suited for. Is this type of profiling actually beneficial?
Can a DNA Test Tell You Your Athletic Inclinations?
By Blaine Moore
Mar 27, 2011 - 3:35:42 PM
If there was a DNA test that determined what kind of sports you
could excel at, would you take it?
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has developed a few and
has been testing whether or not they can be used to help train their
athletes. The AIS use DNA profiling through 12 gene tests to
determine what type of athletic endeavors an individual is best
suited for.
For example, if they are better suited to power activities then
they would lift more weights, but if they were better suited to
endurance activities than they would run more. They hope that by
custom tailoring their training programs for their athletes, they
can attain better performances that work
with the athlete's
body instead of against it.
In fact, the largest benefit from such a course of action could
be to reduce the frequency and seriousness of injuries.
Not everybody believe that this is a good idea, however. Some
scientists and sports experts have advised against the process,
especially as there is no "mongrel" gene to account for
people that have mixed strengths that can be specifically tested
for.
I have to agree if you are going to use the DNA profiling to
select or exclude your athletes. It does a disservice not only to
the athletes, but also to the organizations that employ the tests.
Knowing what tasks an athlete's body is more likely to respond
favorably to will not really tell you which athletes are likely to
be successful or that are going to have the right mindset and focus
during competition.
I think that the organizations that might do better would be the
ones who allow their trainers and coaches to be guided by the data
to help keep their athletes healthy. The largest problem with
professional sports is subjecting our bodies to the demands of
training to perform at such a high level while avoiding injuries.
As time goes on and research improves, this process is sure to
become more popular. Given the expense of conducting all 12 tests on
an athlete it's very unlikely that individual athletes will go to
the bother unless they are facing chronic problems that they have
been unable to solve themselves.
The most interesting information that I would like to glean from
the information has nothing to do with the future performance of an
athlete, though.
The most interesting piece of these tests would be to analyze the
data past performance data of the athletes that have been tested.
Were those athletes leading a lifestyle and making training
decisions that played to the strengths of what the tests tell them
their body's are best suited for?
Or did those athletes succeed in spite of where their supposed
strengths and weaknesses lie?
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