The Epigenetic Endurance Athlete

Being fit and unhealthy is a recurring theme; it delineates effort from struggle – in life and sport.

I have never met an endurance athlete who did not want to improve his/her performance; yet, most endurance athletes with whom I work are fit yet unhealthy. The key is likely a mindset shift – health first; performance second.

There is strong correlational evidence that genetics play an important role in athletic performance.  Elite athletes tend to have a certain genetic array, however, possessing similar genetics to elite athletes does not guarantee elite performances.

There are elite athletes who possess genetics that are not indicators of elite performance.  Several factors contribute to this seemingly disparate occurrence such as DNA sequence [genetic blueprint], epigenetics, and environmental factors.

Your genetic blueprint is one of the many pieces of the complex human system. Your genetic blueprint [DNA sequence] consists of a combination of DNA markers [alleles] [Adenosine – A, Cytosine – C, Guanine – G, and Thymine – T]  known as Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms [SNPs – pronounced  “snips”].                                     

SNPs represent the keys to this cutting-edge paradigm to optimize gene expression. In an ideal world the A allele pairs with the T allele and the C allele pairs with the G allele.

Life is not ideal and offers a different set of parameters – many unpredictable. Therein lies the benefit of matching desired outcomes with propensities.

Athletic propensities are generally expressed through a combination of SNPs versus solitary SNPs. Epigenetics provides the ability to change genetic expression through environment and lifestyle modifications.

The alteration of specific genes occurs through nutrigenomics – the strategic use of nutrition and supplementation to modify epigenetic expression. 

Epigenetics is about propensities, not absolutes. Possessing ideal genes for elite performance will not make you an elite athlete, and not having optimal performance genetics does not make it out of reach.

The key is to grasp the basic elements of the art and science of genetics, epigenetics, nutrigenetics, nutrigenomics, and the interface of your DNA sequence to catalyze your desired outcomes.

The keys to your mansion of unparalleled health, performance, and longevity are heightened when lifestyle matches chronotype. Performance optimization cannot occur without first enhancing health.

Homeostasis is the dynamic interaction between genetics and lifestyle [nature and nurture]. Synergy is the lynchpin.

We have the technology to eliminate the guesswork, decode superhuman, and propel your limitless potential. Epigenetics represents an unprecedented, bold, medical paradigm leveraging cutting-edge technology to shift genetic expression with mind-blowing results in life and sport.

Epigenetics provides visionary, incisive, evidence-based measures, and strategic actions to genetically optimize and enhance health, performance, and longevity – because life begins and ends at the cellular level.

Epigenetics represents the study of changes in organisms caused by modifications to gene expression absent any alteration to the genetic code [DNA blueprint/sequence]. “Epi” is the Greek lexicon for “above.”

Epigenetic markers are positioned above your DNA sequence and impact gene expression/suppression based on lifestyle factors [methylation].

Your DNA blueprint is absolute and cannot be altered. Think of epigenetic markers as apostrophes sprinkled above the letters and words of a sentence [your DNA sequence].

Your DNA provides instructions for proteins to be produced inside the cells. Epigenetic markers impact [like a dimmer switch] how genes are read by cells.

Epigenetics represents all inputs from life and what is possible.

It identifies propensities that can be modified whether it pertains to sleep, stress, nutrition, supplementation, athletic performance, environmental health, hormones, biological age, neurotransmitters, the endocannabinoid and glutathione systems, nitric oxide production, mitochondrial biogenesis, neuroepigenetics, heart rate variability, cognition, and a host of other testing categories.

Proper gene expression is a big deal. The mayhem begins when a gene is expressed when it should be suppressed or vice versa, and its impact reaches far beyond a sub-par training day.

This invites inflammation, chronic and degenerative diseases, accelerated biological aging, senescence, and a plethora of other undesirable outcomes – no matter the endurance athlete’s level of fitness.

SNPs leverage your performance and; consequently, your health and longevity. Find below a few of the high-impact SNPs insidiously impacting your health, performance, and longevity in life and sport.

Detailed descriptions and interactions of these SNPs respective to the following categories are beyond the scope of this content.

→ VO2 Max;
→ CV VO2 Max;
→ Metabolic VO2 Max;
→  Metabolic efficiency;
→  Muscle Fatigability;
→  Strength and hypertrophy;
→  Endurance;
→  Power and Sprint;
→  Recovery;
→  Soft tissue

The promise of epigenetic testing is its depiction of cellular integrity. When variants highlight abnormal cellular function it allows the opportunity to reverse chronic, degenerative, autoimmune states, cancer, and biological aging, and improve your health, performance, and longevity via gene expression modification.

It is necessary to integrate a complex systems approach to optimize health, performance, and longevity. It is important to understand the human system is an unpredictable, complex system versus a complicated system.

In a complicated system, several independent pieces can be modified without affecting the other pieces. In a complex system, each piece is dependent on its relationship with the other pieces. 

The human system is adaptive and dynamic. App algorithms focus on complicated, predictable, and static biometrics.

The invaluable art of applying complicated data to complex thinking is “augmented intelligence.” The precise interpretation of complicated data is the key to transcending health, performance, and longevity in life and sport. 

“Epigenetics Revolution” by Nessa Carey provided the following analogy.

Think of your life as a movie:

→ Cells represent the actors – the essential units that make up the movie;
→ DNA represents the script – instructions for all participants of the movie and their roles;
→ DNA sequence represents the words on the script;
→ Genes instruct key actions or events to occur;
→ Genetics represents screenwriting;
→ Epigenetics represents directing all elements of the movie.

The director can alter the film by tweaking scenes, dialogue, and so forth. Steven Spielberg would create a different product from Woody Allen – even though both had the same script.

Perhaps it is time to rewrite your script…

We have the technology to eliminate the guesswork, decode superhuman, and propel your limitless potential. Epigenetics represents an unprecedented, bold, medical paradigm leveraging cutting-edge technology to shift genetic expression with mind-blowing results in life and sport.

A limitless life is a choice…

Click Performance Medicine™ to ignite your limitless genetic potential in life and sport.
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