Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) genes have been associated with athletic and physical performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between ACE polymorphisms and athletic status in Japanese male wrestlers. The control group consisted of 335 Japanese healthy individuals who college student majoring in physical education. We divided 135 wrestlers into three groups on the basis of their results in national or international competitions. Twenty-four wrestlers who had been in the first eight places of the world championships or participated in the Olympic games were classified as “Elite”, twenty-eight wrestlers who had been participated in the world championships or become a champion in the Japan national championships and were classified as “Sub-Elite”. The other eighty-three wrestlers were classified as “national”. The DD genotype and D allele frequency was significantly higher in Elite, Sub-Elite and National groups as compared to that of the controls. The frequency of the ACE DD genotype in “Elite” was the highest of all groups, and a linear tendency was observed between ACE DD genotype and athletic status.
In conclusion, the above data suggested that ACE polymorphisms would be strongly related to athletic performance in Japanese elite wrestlers.
