Have you ever asked yourself is there is a relationship between your DNA and your fitness level? If you haven’t, then now is the time to ask such a question. Now that fitness has become one of the main industries dominating our lives, the technological developments that came out of this industry were distinguishable. From wearable devices to outfits that track your activity level, the fitness industry is still coming up with excellent technologies. Today, it is using DNA testing to improve or predict the performance of athletes and people who work out. In this article, we will try to understand the relationship between Fitness and DNA testing.

Many companies are using a special way to create personalized workout plans and diets. This way relies on analyzing some genetic factors related to nutrition, health, and fitness. So how can we use the information that DNA testing provides to know more about our fitness level?

Your DNA is found in every part of your body, therefore, you can do a DNA test using a strand of your hair, blood or even skin cells. When it comes to fitness purposes, saliva samples are used as they carry all the needed genetic information and are not disturbing. Once your saliva sample is sent to the lab, your DNA will be extracted and multiplied to be tested before being processed through a genotyping system.

Every fitness brand testes different genes. Some of them focus on reporting the genes from your ethnicity and your family history adding the option of health testing, while others test the genetic factors that have a connection to muscle composition, ingredient sensitivities and food intolerances.

How much can the DNA determine your fitness level?

DNA is an essential element that predicts how our body works and perform and sports performance is one of the activities that our DNA can know about. However, many studies suggested that while genes can sometimes differentiate between one person and another when it comes to sports performance, some environmental factors could also play a major role. A research review conducted in 2013 found that having genetics related to endurance or power couldn’t be enough to make any person a good athlete. The research that studied the genetics of young athletes found that what made them athletes was a mix of genetics and an optimal training environment.

Genes are important to improve your fitness level as the can influence the ration between slow and fast-twitch muscle fibers. An endurance coach and a professor at the University of Stirling admitted that by the age of 18, it becomes very clear which athlete has genetics that are supporting his fitness level and which one’s success is deemed by effort and hard work only.

Finally, fitness DNA tests are able to give you information and facts about your genome, however, they do not give you life-changing information that will make a champion in the sport you play. Good training remains an important thing to do in the absence or the presence of good genes.