Variation of Elastin Gene Influences Susceptibility to Injury

Which variation of the elastin gene you possess can increase or decrease your likelihood of suffering a ligament injury.

A new study followed 60 professional football players for seven seasons and monitored the number of MCL injuries that occurred.  Different variations of the gene, particularly the ELN-AA and ELNA-AG polymorphisms, experienced significantly different likelihoods of sustaining injury.

Conclusions

This fascinating study adds to the growing amount of evidence that two people could be placed into identical environments and experience differing amount of injuries based off of their genes.  Even though both groups were engaged in very high amounts of physical activity, their genetics interacted with their environment to affect their injury status.

References

Artells, R., Pruna, R., Dellal, A., & Maffulli, N. (2016). Elastin: a possible genetic biomarker for more severe ligament injuries in elite soccer. A pilot study. Muscles, Ligaments and Tendons Journal, 6(2), 188.