Sportive activity reduces genomic damage

Abstract

Abstract Purpose - The influence of training on the levels of genomic damage are not univocal, and to date not completely understood. Indeed, studies in this area remain scant and do not draw definitive conclusions. Our aim was to evaluate the influence of training on the levels of DNA damage in young athletes. We also wanted to explore the possibility of genomic damage to be driven by single-gene polymorphisms on metabolic and DNA repair genes in our sample. Method - We compared the levels of Micronuclei and other nuclear aberrations in buccal mucosa cells of a group of 35 healthy, young martial artists with the ones of a group of 35 healthy, young sedentary controls. We also genotyped all subjects for three metabolic and two DNA repair genes in order to investigate the influence of the related single-gene polymorphisms on the frequency of genomic damage. Results - We observed a decrease in the levels of genomic damage in athletes relatively to sedentary controls; this decrease was significant in both Micronuclei ant Total Aberrations. Instead, single-gene polymorphisms did not alter significantly the levels of nuclear aberrations. Conclusion - The decrease in genomic damage observed in athletes suggests a protective effect of training and corroborates the beneficial effects of sportive activity on human health. Moreover, even other factors, such as the nature of the sport and training length, could influence the results.