To sprint or not

Atlas Sports Genetics is a company in Boulder Colorado that will test test your child's DNA and send you a report of what sports he is most likely to succeed. All this for $149, but is it worth it? The gene in question is ACTN3, a muscle-specific protein called alpha-actinin-3. There are variants of this gene that appear to be associated with optimal performance for different types of sports. As they state on their web site: " Simply put, this gene determines three types of athletes." They provide no data to support their claims. They test for the variant R577X and interpret the results as reported on their web site: http://www.atlasgene.com/

"Studies have shown that athletes having the variant in both copies of the ACTN3 gene may have a natural predisposition for endurance, such as distance running, distance swimming and cross-country skiing.

Athletes having the variant in one copy of their ACTN3 gene may be equally suited for sports requiring both endurance and sprint / power characteristics such as basketball, tennis, volleyball and cycling.

Athletes that do not carry this variant in either copy of the ACTN3 gene may have a natural predisposition for speed / power sports such as football, weight lifting and sprint events"

A good article on the subject was NYTimes published November 29, 2008. As they report, nearly 25% of elite endurance atheletes had 2 copies of this allele, only slightly higher than for the control group which was 18%.

Would you have made different decisions in your life if given this information as a child? Would you have your own child tested. I think I'll save my money and spend it on registration for AYSO soccer, Little league baseball, a decent bike, good shoes etc. He'll find out what he likes and what he's good at.