european college of sport science

EXERCISE GENOMICS: RESULTS FROM THE HERITAGE FAMILY STUDY
BOUCHARD, C.
PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER
OP-ST07 Sports 7
The focus of this presentation will be on the complex network of genes and DNA sequence differences that contribute to human variation
in cardiorespiratory fitness as assessed by maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) and in the changes brought about by exercise training in
VO2 max and risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Results of the HERITAGE Family Study indicate that, among sedentary
adults, VO2 max adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, body mass and body composition is characterized by an heritable component of the
order of 50%. The response of VO2 max to training, adjusted for baseline level, age, sex and ethnicity, is influenced by a genetic component
of the same magnitude. However, there is no correlation between the sedentary level of VO2 max and its trainability, suggesting
that different gene networks and sequence variants regulate them. The heterogeneity of responses to training is considerable, with a
range from about fourfold to tenfold when comparing the lowest to the highest responders. Four approaches have been used to identify
the genes that are contributing to human variation in sedentary VO2 max, its trainability and training-induced changes in risk factors:
candidate genes, gene expression arrays, genome scans with microsatellite markers, and genome-wide association studies with panels
of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Responsiveness to exercise-training among HERITAGE subjects has been associated with
multiple genes including TTN, KIF5B, CREB1, SLC4A5 and FHL1. DNA SNPs in these 5 genes have been associated with differences in
training-induced changes in hemodynamic and metabolic endophenotypes. The broader network of exercise responsiveness genes as
revealed by HERITAGE will be defined. The role of FHL1 genotypes on the changes brought about by regular exercise in insulin and glucose
metabolism will be highlighted. The usefulness of exercise genomics for applications in public health and physical performance
domains will be discussed.
17:15 - 18:45
Oral presentations
OP-ST07 Sports 7
PREDICTION OF CROSS-COUNTRY SKI SEASON PERFORMANCE BASED ON A LINEAR REGRESSION MODEL OF LABO-
RATORY ROLLER SKI CAPACITY AND VO2MAX TEST
NAEF, N., STEINER, T., MÜLLER, B., WEHRLIN, J.P.
SWISS FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF SPORTS, MAGGLINGEN, SWITZERLAND
Introduction: Cross-country (XC) ski-specific testing is used to support elite athletes regarding their training control as well as to predict
performance of competitive ski season (Alsobrook & Heil, 2009, Staib et al., 2000). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship
between the results of two different laboratory preseason roller ski tests and the XC ski performance of the following season as
well as its predictability with a linear regression model.
Methods: In October 2008, 14 male XC skiers of the Swiss National U20 (n=5), U23 (n=2) and Elite (n=7) Distance Ski Team completed two
laboratory roller ski tests on a large motor-driven treadmill. Athletes performed a maximal diagonal stride test to measure VO2max. 24
hours later they carried out a maximal double poling capacity test with self selected speed during three stages of eight minutes (5 min at
3° inclination and 3 min at 5° inclination) to establish maximal possible distance. XC ski season performance was ranked by the 4th XC
ski distance International Ski Federation (FIS) points list 2008/2009. Spearmen correlation analyses and multiple linear regression models
were applied.
Results: Athletes achieved a mean total distance of 5299.3 ± 460.5m, a VO2max of 77.4 ± 4.6 ml/min/kg and mean FIS Points of 59.7 ±
44.1 (range = 1.2 - 130.5). There was a negative correlation between distance and FIS points as well as VO2max and FIS points (r = -
0.832; p < 0.001 and r = - 0.510; p = 0.062, respectively). Age was significantly correlated to FIS points (r2 = - 0.638; p = 0.014). The best
linear regression model to predict FIS points was: FIS points = - 0.069 * distance [m] - 2.897 * VO2max [ml/min/kg] + 650.95 with a mean
residual of 15.6 ± 9.2 points. Correlation between XC ski performance and the linear regression model was significantly (r2 = 0.790, p <
0.001).
Discussion and Conclusion
These findings suggest that distance achieved during the capacity test and VO2max are important determinants of the following XC ski
season performance. Our linear regression model based on a ski-specific laboratory test is highly correlated with seasonal performance
(FIS). We suggest that this model is a useful tool to predict XC ski performance of the following winter season, in spite of the long time
frame and possible confounding factors (health problems, ski preparation, race tactic, etc).
References
Alsobrook NG, Heil DP (2009). Eur J Appl Physiol, 105, 633-941.
FIS point rules: http://www.fis-ski.com/data/document/pktrl0809e.pdf
Staib JL, Im J, Caldwell J, Rundell KW (2000). J Strength Cond Res, 14(3), 282-288.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OXYGEN EXTRACTION IN THE ARMS AND LEGS TO FORCE AND EXERCISE INTENSITY IN
DIAGONAL SKIING
BJÖRKLUND, G., STÖGGL, T., CARLSSON, L., DOVRÉN, L., HOLMBERG, H.C.
MID-SWEDEN UNIVERSITY
Introduction:
Diagonal skiing (DIA) is the main classical cross-country technique used when skiing uphill. Two interesting findings when examining this
technique at submaximal workloads have been that 1) O2 extraction was lower in the arms than the legs (Calbet et al., 2005) and 2)
lactate oxidation mainly occurred in the leg muscles simultaneously with a high lactate production in the arms (Van Hall et al., 2003). At
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ANNUAL CONGRESS OF THE EUROPEAN COLLEGE OF SPORT SCIENCE