Genetic Testing In Sports Essay

During intense competition, an athlete will often try to push their body its maximum potential. There are many factors that influence this potential, and a study of the human body and how it functions can greatly aid an athlete in maximizing their performance. In this paper, I will discuss current issues that are related to sports and athletics, and how a knowledge of these issues can help one assess what can make an athlete successful – or not. First, I will discuss functional foods and dietary supplements. Next, I will summarize the ever-recurring issue of drug abuse among athletes. This will be followed by a summary of genetic testing. After that, the dangers of head trauma will be investigated. Finally, I will discuss BMI and its utility as a measure of health. As someone who did four years of cross country and track in high school, and remains active in playing sports today, I find that these

topics are both interesting and are still relevant to me today.
Many manufacturers of functional foods and dietary supplements make certain claims about how their products will improve your health. Functional foods are marketed as having greater benefits than foods with basic nutrition. An example of a functional food is Red Bull. Its manufacturer claims that it can “boost energy levels.” Dietary supplements are products taken to improve health that are not a normal part of the diet. Examples include a daily multivitamin, and plant extracts. A potential issue with functional foods and dietary supplements is that they have not been tested by the FDA like pharmaceutical drugs. According to a law passed in 1994 (the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act), these substances can bypass FDA testing and be sold until it is proven that they are unsafe. While proponents of these products say that their safety has been confirmed by a history of human consumption, critics point out that ingredients in modern products have been concentrated and (in some cases) combined, and that there is no guarantee of quality control.
Numerous professional athletes have admitted to abusing drugs to enhance their performance. One class of performance-enhancing drugs is anabolic steroids. These are similar in structure to testosterone, and lead to increased muscle mass and strength. Designer drugs such as tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) have been formulated to elude testing, and have caused some athletes to be stripped of their medals years later. Possible side effects of these drugs may include impotence, hair loss, increased aggression, and increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and liver disease. Another class of drugs is blood enhancers such as erythromycin (EPO), which signals the body to produce more red blood cells, leading to increased aerobic capacity. Abuse of this hormone leads to increased blood viscosity, risking high blood pressure and heart attacks. In the future, “gene doping” may be used to alter an athlete's genes to increase their performance.
Since natural variations in genes are found in the human population, it would be extremely difficult to detect gene doping in athletes who modify the genetic composition of their cells to enhance performance.

These modifications might be undetectable by standard tests, however, genetic testing could potentially shed some light in this area. At the present, genetic testing (DNA analysis) is used to diagnose genetic diseases and alert people who may be at risk for various ailments. A couple of possible benefits of genetic testing include early treatment for a disease and more informed reproductive choices. This kind of testing, however, also presents itself with new issues. For instance, a medical insurance company might consider someone who possesses a gene associated with disease to have a preexisting condition. Employers can potentially use genetic information to discriminate against their employees. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) is a law passed in 2008 that ensures genetic tests cannot be used to deny coverage or set higher insurance

premiums.
In some sports, the risk of head trauma is of great concern. A concussion, or Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI), can occur after a blow to the head, causing the brain to bounce against the skull. This results in a temporary disruption in higher brain centers and mild brain swelling. Most people make a full recovery from this condition after healing over time. If second blow is experienced before the brain has proper time to heal, however, more severe brain swelling may occur. In 2006, after a middle-schooler named Zackery Lystedt suffered from an even more severe condition (acute intracranial hemorrhage) from a second impact, many states have passed laws to protect young athletes from repeated head injuries. The long term effects of head trauma is another serious issue. Surveys have found that retired NFL players over the age of 50 are five times more likely to suffer from dementia than the national average for their age group. To improve the safety of contact sports, more research in head injuries needs to be conducted.
Body mass index (BMI) is a simple measure of fatness that takes height into account. It was first primarily used by insurance companies to predict the risk of death of an individual. When relative risk of death is plotted against BMI, it is easy to visualize how a BMI in the normal range is associated with the lowest risk of death, while BMI values that deviate from that range carry an increasingly greater relative risk of death. Over the years the US government has tried to promote health by setting definitions of overweight and obese and encouraging people to aim for a lower weight. This scale, however, can sometimes be misleading. While being overweight increases risk for some diseases, the increase of mortality associated with it over the normal weight range is negligible. Secondly, BMI is not a very accurate indicator of health. Some people naturally have larger frames or more muscle mass and be labeled as overweight, even though they may be very fit.
In this essay, I have summarized various current issues related to the human body, athletic activity, and general health. One thing I can apply from the section on supplements is how important it is to be aware of what I am eating. I had no idea that the scope of these products was so large (including anything from energy drinks to multivitamins) and that these products are almost completely unregulated by the FDA. One easy way for me or any other consumer to protect themselves when purchasing these products is to do some research about the product in question. There are many peer-review articles, for instance, that can be used to obtain reliable information about specific additives and their effects on human health. I also found the article on head trauma to be very informative. Although I previously avoided contact sports because they seemed unpleasant, after reading about the dangers and unknown long-term effects of head trauma, I now feel that I have a definite reason to avoid these sports, and to encourage friends and family members to steer away from them unless significant safety measures are implemented or until the long-term effects are better studied.