Name: Ann E.
Status: Other
Age: 30s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: December 2002
Question:
I am working on a science article for a children's
magazine explaining the difference between slow twitch and fast twitch
muscle fibers and how the genetically predetermined ratio of these fibers
your muscles contain could play a role in what sort of activities you
excel. In physical therapy school, I recall hearing that during the cold
war the eastern bloc countries would biopsy the muscle fibers of athletic
5 or 6 year olds to determine which sporting activities these children
should be pushed toward.
A fact like this would go great in my article,
but I can find no documentation to support it. Do you know if this is
true? If it is do you know where I can find documentation? Thank you
very much.
Replies:
I know of no such thing. I am also more than skeptical on the idea of a
biopsy predicting athletic ability via muscle type distribution. If I read
such a thing in ANY magazine it would not engender a feeling of confidence
in the article whatsoever. Furthermore, the idea of genetic determination,
in something as complex as athletic ability would certainly be polygenic and
genotypically indeterminable with present technology and understanding,
while phenotypic determination would be even less certain. The subject of
fast and slow twitch is far more informative from the standpoint of training
and how different training schedules will favor different types.
Peter Faletra Ph.D.
Assistant Director
Office of Science
Department of Energy
NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.
