Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) is involved in lipid and carbohydrates metabolism. The aim of this study was to test the possible association between the PPARA intron 1 A/C polymorphism (rs135539) and the acquirement of elite athlete status.. 155 Israeli athletes (male, n=119; female, n=36) and 240 healthy controls (male, n=170; female, n=70) participated in the study. The athletes' group consisted of endurance athletes (n=74) and sprinters (n=81). Genotyping was

more »

... ed using PCR-RFLP on DNA from leucocytes. Results showed that genotype distribution and allele frequencies were similar (p= 0.65 for genotypes and p=0.48 for allele frequency) for the groups of endurance athletes (allele frequency: A/C 0.7/0.3), sprinters (allele frequency A/C 0.66/0.34), and controls (allele frequency A/C 0.71/0.29).,Further, no statistical differences were found between the subgroups of elite-level endurance athletes (those who had represented Israel in world track and field championships or in the Olympic Games) and national-level endurance athletes (p=0.44 for genotypes and p=0.96 for allele frequency), or between elite-level and national-level sprinters (p=0.57 for genotypes and p=0.40 for allele frequency). In conclusion, the present study found no differences in genotype and allelic frequency across PPARA intron 1 A/C polymorphism between endurance athletes, sprinters and controls. Further research is needed in other ethnic groups in order to verify these results.