Genetics of Fitness and Physical Performance

Claude Bouchard, one of the world's leaders in the study of genetics and physical activity, is professor of exercise physiology and director of the Biology of Physical Activity Research Group at Universite Laval in Sainte Foy, Quebec. He has an MSc in exercise physiology and a PhD in anthropological genetics. For more than 20 years, Dr. Bouchard's research has focused on the genetic and molecular basis of human variation in body composition, physical fitness, and performance. This research has been supported by the Medical Research Council of Canada and other Canadian granting agencies as well as the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Dr. Bouchard has authored or coauthored several books, including Growth, Maturation, and Physical Activity, and has published more than 500 professional and scientific papers. He received the Canadian Atherosclerosis Society Sandoz Award in 1996 at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada meeting. In 1997 Dr. Bouchard gave the J.B. Wolffe Lecture at American College of Sports Medicine Clinic meeting in Denver. Dr. Bouchard is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Society of Human Genetics. He recently has been elected as a foreign member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium. Robert M. Malina is professor of physical education and exercise science at Michigan State University and director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports. Before assuming his position at MSU, Dr. Malina was professor of kinesiology and anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin for 28 years. He has a PhD in both physical education and physical anthropology and has done extensive research on the growth, maturation, and performance of children and youth in the United States and abroad. Dr. Malina has served as president of the Human Biology Council and the American Academy of Physical Education, editor of the Yearbook of Physical Anthropology, and section editor for growth and development for the Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport and the Exercise and Sport Sciences Review. He is editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Human Biology. Dr. Malina is coauthor of the book, Growth, Maturation, and Physical Activity, and has published more than 300 professional and scientific papers. In 1989, Dr. Malina was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Institute of Physical Education, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. He is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Human Biology Council, and an elected foreign member of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Dr. Louis Perusse is research scholar and associate professor in the Department of Physical Education at Universite Laval in Sainte Foy, Quebec. He has an MSc and PhD in physical activity sciences from Universite Laval. He has also completed postdoctoral work in human genetics at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Dr. Perusse's research has focused on the genetic epidemiology of various determinants of physical fitness. He has published his findings in more than 75 scholarly journals and books, including several papers on the role of genes on body composition and blood pressure. Dr. Perusse is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Society of Human Genetics.

Chapter 1. Introduction-Statement of the Problem -Nature Versus Nurture -The Growing Power of the Biological Sciences -Necessary and Susceptibility Genes and Other Effects -The International Effort to Study the Human Genome -Content of the Book -ReferencesChapter 2. The Human Genome-The Human Genome -The Structure of DNA -From DNA to RNA to Proteins -The Human Gene -Genes and Proteins -Regulation of Gene Expression -Mitochondrial DNA -Summary -ReferencesChapter 3. Detection and Extent of Human Genetic Variation-Chromosomal Anomalies -Mutation and Genetic Variation -Genetic Polymorphism -Recombinant-DNA Technology -Detection of Genetic Variation -Extent of DNA Variation -Summary -ReferencesChapter 4. Understanding the Methods-Overview of Research Strategies -Human Studies -Assessment of Familial Aggregation -Assessment of Heritability -Detection of Major or Single Gene Effects -Detection of Genotype-Environment Interaction -Animal Studies -Summary -ReferencesChapter 5. Defining Performance, Fitness, and Health-Performance-Related Fitness -Health-Related Fitness -Health -Individual Differences in Trainability -Determinants of Trainability -Summary -ReferencesChapter 6. Genetics and Health Status-Measuring Health Status -Genetic Effects in Health Status -Longevity and Aging -Summary -ReferencesChapter 7. Genetics of Metabolic Rate and Activity Level-Life Span and Gender Variability -Genetics of Resting Metabolic Rate and Thermic Effect of Food -Genetics of Activity Level -Summary -ReferencesChapter 8. Genetics of Dietary Intake-Life Span and Gender Variability -Genetics of Dietary Intake -Taste Preferences -Eating Behavior -Gene-Nutrient Interactions -Summary -ReferencesChapter 9. Genetics of Body Size and Physique Phenotypes-Life Span and Gender Variability -Genetics of Morphological Phenotypes -Summary -ReferencesChapter 10. Genetics of Body Fat and Fat Distribution-The Phenotypes -Life Span, Gender, and Population Variability -Genetic Epidemiology -Genetic-Environment Interactions -Contribution of Specific Genes -Genetics and Regional Fat Distribution -Is Obesity Inherited? -Summary -ReferencesChapter 11. Genetics and Skeletal Muscle Phenotypes-Gender and Age Difference in Muscle -Genetics of Skeletal Muscle Tissue Phenotypes -Genotype Training Interaction Effects in Skeletal Muscle -Summary -ReferencesChapter 12. Genetics of Cardiorespiratory Fitness Phenotypes-Life Span and Gender Variability -Genetics of Cardiac Structures and Functions -Genetics of Pulmonary Function -Genetics of Blood Pressure -Summary -ReferencesChapter 13. Genetics of Metabolic Fitness Phenotypes and Other Risk Factors-Life Span and Gender Variability -Blood Lipids, Lipoproteins, and Apolipoproteins -Glucose and Insulin -Substrate Oxidation -Blood Coagulation and Fibrinolytic Systems -Hormones -Other Risk Factors -Genotype-Environment Interaction -The Metabolic Syndrome -Summary -ReferencesChapter 14. Genetics and Motor Development-Changes During the Life Span -Genetics and Early Motor Development -Genetics and Movement Patterns -Motor Development in Individuals with Genetic Anomalies -Summary -ReferencesChapter 15. Genetics and Performance-Life Span and Gender Variability -Overview of Genetic Studies -Muscular Strength and Endurance -Motor Performance -Modeling Twin and Familial Resemblance -Responses to Training -Molecular Markers -Summary -ReferencesChapter 16. Molecular Medicine and Health-Related Fitness-Single Gene Diseases -Common Multifactoral Diseases -The Era of Molecular Medicine -Definition of Susceptibility and Risk at the Molecular Level -Implications for Health-Related Fitness -A Vision of the Year 2500 -Summary -ReferencesChapter 17. Genes and High Performance Sports-Science and High-Performance Sports -Current Understanding of the Role of Genes -Talent Detection -Dramatic Changes to be Expected -Summary -ReferencesChapter 18. Ethical Issues-Implications for Society -Considerations for the Exercise Scientist -Considerations for Sport Governing Bodies -Summary -ReferencesGlossaryIndex