c.313A>G polymorphism in Russian and Polish athletes.

The gene encodes glutathione S-transferase P1, which is a member of the glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), a family of enzymes playing an important role in detoxification and in the antioxidant defense system. There is some evidence indicating that c.313A>G polymorphism may be beneficial for exercise performance. Therefore, we decided to verify the association between the frequency of c.313A>G variants, physical performance, and athletes' status in two cohorts: in a group of Russian athletes ( = 507) and in an independent population of Polish athletes ( = 510) in a replication study. The initial association study conducted with the Russian athletes revealed that the frequency of the minor G allele was significantly higher in all athletes than in controls; that was confirmed in the replication study of Polish athletes. In the combined cohort, the differences between athletes ( = 1017) and controls ( = 1246) were even more pronounced (32.7 vs 25.0%, < 0.0001). Our findings emphasize that the G allele of the gene c.313A>G single nucleotide polymorphism is associated with improved endurance performance. These observations could support the hypothesis that the G allele may improve exercise performance by better elimination of exercise-induced ROS.