Sigal Ben-Zaken

Orde Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sports · Genetic and molecular biology

Both the IGF1 axis and hypovitaminosis D play a role in childhood obesity, either as a cause or a causality. While some studies suggest an interrelation between vitamin D status, IGF1, and obesity, this mechanism remains obscure. The aim of this study, therefore, was to explore associations between four genetic polymorphisms in the IGF1 axis in hyp...

Remmel, L, Ben-Zaken, S, Meckel, Y, Nemet, D, Eliakim, A, and Jürimäe, J. The genetic basis of decathlon performance: an exploratory study. J Strength Cond Res 37(8): 1660-1666, 2023-Decathlon is a combined track and field competition consisting of 10 different events, most of which are anaerobic-type events. Therefore, it is assumed that an anaero...

Background The aim of the study was to explore associations between COMT A/G rs4680 polymorphisms and physical activity (PA) among healthy middle-aged women. PA is a multifactorial trait in which dopamine plays a pivotal role. The enzyme catecholamine O-methyl transferase (COMT) degrades dopamine in the synaptic area. The COMT rs4680 genetic polymo...

Background: The ACSL A/G single nucleotide polymorphism is associated with endurance trainability. It was previously demonstrated that AA carriers had a reduced maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) in response to training compared to GG carriers, and that this polymorphism explained 6.1% of the variance in the VO2 max response to training. The aim...

Purpose Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is typically a chronic, often lifelong condition. Data suggest that ADHD itself and its treatment may be associated with dysregulated growth, including height and BMI. The reason for this association is yet unknown. The objective of this study was to examine differences in growth hormone (GH)...

Objective Decathlon is a combined track and field competition, consisting of ten, mainly anaerobic events. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF1) axis plays a pivotal role in athletes' structural and functional muscle adaptation to exercise training, and in their competitive performance. Based on the great demand for speed physiological characteristic...

Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of the ACSL A/G single nucleotide polymorphism among athletes and patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of motor neurons that leads to paralysis and death usually within 3-5 years from onset. Previous epidemiological...

A successful swimming performance is a multi-factorial accomplishment, resulting from a complex interaction of physical, biomechanical, physiological and psychological factors, all of which are strongly affected by the special medium of water as well as by genetic factors. The nature of competitive swimming is unique, as most of the competitive eve...

Ben-Zaken, S, Meckel, Y, Nemet, D, and Eliakim, A. IGF axis genetic score and sports excellence. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2021-It has been suggested that IGF1 polymorphisms associated with circulating IGF1 levels may be linked to elite short-distance running performance. This study assessed genetic score based on 6 polymorphisms related...

Frailty reflects a decreased reserve in multiple systems resulting from cumulative decline. Frailty markers should be identified as early as possible to attenuate the loss of reserve. The aim of this study was to identify potentially modifiable correlates of frailty in relatively healthy older adults. Volunteers (n = 122) were recruited from local...

Extra-time (ET) of 30 minutes is played if football match scores are level after 90 minutes in tournament knockout play. The demanding schedule of these tournaments along with possible ET matches in the knockout stages significantly increase players’ overload and injury risk. Present study aimed to determine whether ET during major football nationa...

Background: Vitamin D is essential for skeletal health. Because peak bone mass accrual occurs during childhood and adolescence, vitamin D insufficiency during this period of life could cause adverse health outcomes. Objectives: To explore the potential sex differences in anthropometric indicators and vitamin D status among primary school-age chi...

This chapter focuses on heritability and genetic variation of motor performance mainly in the psychological domain. It defines basic terms such as genetics, heredity, traits, heritability, genes, chromosomes, and DNA. This concept is based on Fisher's basic theorem, which states that the degree of resemblance between individuals is proportional to...

Creativity is considered to be an embodied concept, where internal psychological and external behavioral processes are intertwined. Creativity enhancement programs often target the cognitive side of this bi‐dimensionality leaving the impact of motor interventions underexplored. To address this gap in the literature, we tested the effectiveness of t...

Previous studies have demonstrated that compared to runners, swimmers carry a higher prevalence of the IL-6 -174C polymorphism and lower single nucleotide polymorphism frequencies of the IGF system. Purpose: The aim of the present study was to assess the combined frequency of the IL-6 -174G/C and IGFBP3 -202A/C polymorphisms among track and field...

Objectives: Soccer is a complex sport in which players are required to perform variety of aerobic and anaerobic activities. The purpose of the study was to explore aerobic (PPARD CC) and anaerobic (ACTN3 RR) performance-related genotype frequencies among young soccer players and compare them with those of sprinters/jumpers (S/J), long distance runn...

Abstract Ben-Zaken, S, Meckel, Y, Nemet, D, Kassem, E, and Eliakim, A. Genetic basis for the dominance of Israeli long-distance runners of Ethiopian origin. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000–000, 2018—Israeli long-distance runners of Ethiopian origin have a major influence on the track and field long-distance record table. The aim of this study was to...

The ACSL A/G polymorphism is associated with endurance trainability. Previous studies have demonstrated that homozygotes of the minor AA allele had a reduced maximal oxygen consumption response to training compared to the common GG allele homozygotes, and that the ACSL A/G single nucleotide polymorphism explained 6.1% of the variance in the VO2max...

It is now well established that genetic background influences an athlete’s ability to excel in different sport disciplines. Previous studies have demonstrated that among power athletes, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the AGT genotype (Thr-Thr), was significantly more prevalent among weightlifters compared to sprinters and jumpers indicatin...

The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of an increasing-distance interval-training program with a decreasing-distance interval-training program, matched for total distance and recovery times, on blood free radicals and total anti-oxidative capacity (TAC) at rest and following intense exercise. Forty physical education students were...

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to assess the frequency distribution of the IGF2 rs680 polymorphism among Israeli athletes. Methods: 185 short- (n=72) and long-distance (n=113) runners, 94 short- (n=44) and long-distance (n=50) swimmers, 54 weight lifters and 111 controls participated in the study. Genomic DNA was extracted from periph...

The IL-6 -174G/C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) functionally affects IL-6 activity, with the G-allele associated with increased IL-6 levels. The C-allele was found to be associated with exercise-induced skeletal muscle damage. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between the IL-6 -174G/C polymorphism and athletic perfor...

The aim of the study was to compare the effect of an increasing-distance interval-training program and a decreasing-distance interval-training program, matched for total distance, on aerobic and anaerobic performance capabilities. Forty physical education students were randomly assigned to either increasing- or decreasing-distance interval-training...

Objective: The IGF C-1245T (rs35767) and the myostatin (MSTN) Lys(K)-153Arg(R) genetic polymorphism may influence skeletal muscle phenotypes and athletic performance. Carrying the minor IGF T allele and the myostatin rare R allele was associated with higher circulating IGF-I levels, greater muscle mass and improved performance. The aim of the pres...

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of physical contact on neuromuscular impairments and inflammatory response during handball small-sided games. Using a counterbalanced design, 12 elite male junior handball players were divided into two groups: contact (C-SSG) and no-contact (NC-SSG), performing both contact and no-contact small...

The potential use genetic polymorphism, and in particularly polymorphism of hormone genes, as a tool to predict athletic performance is currently very challenging. Recent studies suggest that single nucleotide polymorphisms in IGF-I and myostatin may be beneficial for endurance and short distance running, and may even be associated with elite perfo...

Athletic events can be divided into "aerobic-type event" or "anaerobic-type event" based on energetic usage. Power, speed, and strength, also used to specify sports subtypes. Weightlifters, sprinters, and jumpers feature high-intensity efforts lasting few seconds. However, their performance requires different proportions of power, speed, and streng...

The human ACTN3 gene encodes α-actinin-3, an actin-binding protein with a pivotal role in muscle structure and metabolism. A common genetic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at codon 577 of the ACTN3 results in the replacement of an arginine (R) with a stop codon (X). The R allele is a normal functional version of the gene, whereas the X allele...

Eliakim, A, Ben Zaken, S, Meckel, Y, Yamin, C, Dror, N, and Nemet, D. Rhabdomyolysis after out-of-water exercise in an elite adolescent water polo player carrying the IL-6 174C allele single-nucleotide polymorphism. J Strength Cond Res 29(12): 3506-3508, 2015-We present an adolescent elite water polo player who despite a genetic predisposition to d...

The myostatin (MSTN) Lys(K)-153Arg(R) polymorphism may influence skeletal muscle phenotypes. Carrying the rare R allele was associated with greater muscle mass. The aim of the present study was to assess the frequency of the MSTN Lys(K)-153Arg(R) polymorphism among Israeli track and field athletes (n=185) and swimmers (n=80). Track and field athlet...

In recent years several genetic polymorphisms related to the GH-IGF-I axis were suggested to promote athletic excellence in endurance and power sports. We studied the presence of the C-1245T SNP (rs35767), a nucleotide substitution in the promoter region of the IGF-I gene, and the presence of the 275124A > C SNP (rs1464430), a common nucleotide sub...

Rhabdomyolysis is a syndrome characterized by muscle necrosis and the release of intracellular muscle constituents into the circulation. Consequently, the circulatory levels of intracellular molecular components, such as creatine kinase, are commonly used to evaluate the severity of muscle damage. Nevertheless, there is a wide inter-individual vari...

Skeletal muscle is the major producer and user of lactate in the body. Therefore, transport of lactate across cells' membrane is of considerable importance. Lactate transport is mediated by proton-linked monocarboxylate transporter (MCT1). The A1470T polymorphism (rs1049434) in MCT1 gene influences lactate transport, with T allele associated with r...

Objectives To examine the prevalence of the Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) 275124A > C polymorphism, known to be associated with exercise-related cardiac hypertrophy, among elite endurance and power athletes. Design and methods: We hypothesized that presence of the A allele will be significantly more common among endurance athletes...

Recent studies suggested that several potential genes may explain athletic success. However, while genetic assessment will probably become part of future talent identifi cation, at present, genetic testing predictive value is poor, mainly because athletic success depends on a combination of genetic, physiological, behavioral and environmental facto...

Athletic excelling capability in a specific sport results from the combined influence of hundreds of genetic polymorphisms. The aim of the current study was to characterize athletes' polygenetic scores. We developed two polygenetic scores: (a) Power Genetic Distance Score based on two polymorphisms (PGDS2; ACEI / D , ACTN3C / T ) or five polymorphi...

Abstract The purpose of the current study was to determine the frequency distribution of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD)Val-9Ala polymorphism (rs1799725) among 195 trained endurance and power athletes and 240 healthy controls. Genomic DNA was extracted using a standard protocol. Genotyping of the MnSOD Val-9Ala polymorphism was performed usi...

The aim of the study was to assess whether an aerobic-favoring genetic profile can predict the success of a shift from middle- to long-distance running. Thirteen elite middle-distance runners were divided into successful and non-successful groups in their shift toward long distance runs. All the runners began their training program at the age of 14...

β1-adrenergic receptors (ADRB1) and Gαs proteins (GNAS) play important roles in the regulation of cardiac function. The present study sought to investigate whether ADRB1 Arg389Gly (rs1801253), GNAS -1211 G/A (rs6123837) and GNAS 2291 C/T (rs6026584) variants are associated with left ventricular function and exercise tolerance in heart failure patie...

Self-reported use of cigarettes generally underestimates the true cigarette exposure of smokers. Serum cotinine is considered the best biomarker to evaluate tobacco exposure. This study determined whether or not there were any significant differences in serum cotinine concentrations between men and women when they reported smoking the same number o...

There is a worldwide epidemic of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in women. Some large epidemiologic studies suggest that female smokers may have increased susceptibility to COPD. The biological mechanisms to explain these observations are far from certain. However, the susceptibility to the effects of cigarette smoke in women could be...

Smoking-related lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer are growing epidemics in women in the United States and elsewhere. Although some of this disturbing trend in women can be attributed to changing smoking habits, there is emerging evidence that women may be biologically more susceptible to the harmful...

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