Bangalore, Mar 11, 2010: Super Religare Laboratories (SRL), one of India’s largest diagnostics networks, has become the first in the country to launch the Sports Gene Test that would help parents know which sport their child is most suited for. A simple test, totally non-invasive, which requires no blood test and only involves buccal swab collection.

At times, even with the best of nutrition and right coaching, a child often is not able to excel in sports, much to the disappointment of the parents. Parents feel that they are doing the best for their kids by providing them with proper diet and training. Despite all their efforts, the child fails to excel. The answer can easily be found inside the child’s body – in the form of a gene called ACTN-3, widely referred to as the sports gene.

Every person has two copies of the ACTN3 gene, one from each parent. The ACTN3 gene essentially produces a protein which helps fast-twitch muscle fibers to produce high energy surges for a short time. Fast muscle fibers are the cells that underlie rapid, forceful muscle contraction in activities like sprinting and weight-lifting.

The X variant of the ACTN3 gene, however, disables the production of this protein, resulting in deficiency of the protein, leading to absence of energy surge. Energy is released over a period of time, which is suited best for endurance sports (long distance running and swimming across long distances).

Therefore, after taking the sports gene test, you can find out what type of sport your child may perform best at. With RR genotype of ACTN3 gene, the genetic advantage is for short distance and high intensity sports like sprinting, weight lifting and swimming. With one copy of each, a child can be equally suited to either endurance or power sports. And with the variant X in both ACTN3 gene copies, a child will be best suited to sports involving long distance and endurance sports like hockey, cycling and marathons.

Genes themselves do not predict athletic ability in one particular sport/ athletics in general. They merely show the natural advantage lying with the child or sports person. Given the right training along with self-motivation, the sport can be identified where one can excel.

Dr Sanjeev K Chaudhry, CEO, SRL, said, “The Sports Gene Test has an immense value, especially in a country like India where parents want their children to excel in sports. With this test, parents would be able to channelize their desire for their children to excel by appropriately guiding them to the sports field/activities to which they are better genetically disposed to.”

“This new concept will be helpful in identifying the sport that children, aged between two to 13 years, have a natural predilection for. It further opens up doors to newer and cost-effective ways of nurturing the sporting talent,” he added.