Candidate gene polymorphisms and power athlete status: a meta-analytical approach.

Recent studies have focused on genetic polymorphisms that may influence athlete status. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association between athlete status and specific candidate genetic polymorphisms (AGTR2 rs11091046, FTO rs9939609, GALNTL6 rs558129, GNB3 rs5443, MCT1 rs1049434, NOS3 rs2070744). Only case-control studies collected from PubMed and Web of Science databases, published between 2009 and 2022, were included. A total of 23 studies were included in the meta-analysis according to the criteria of the research, and analyses were performed using random or fixed effects models. Effect size, odds ratio, or risk ratio were evaluated with a suitable 95% confidence interval. The results showed that the GALNTL6 rs558129 T/T genotype, MCT1 rs1049434 T/T genotype, and NOS3 rs2070744 T allele and T/T genotype were more prevalent in power athletes than in controls (p < 0.05). Conversely, the GALNTL6 rs558129 C allele, C/C genotype, and AGTR2 rs11091046 C allele and C/C genotype were more common in the control group. These findings indicate that some genetic polymorphisms may be important markers in athlete status and should be supported by future studies.