Genetics and athletic performance: a systematic SWOT analysis of non-systematic reviews

Frontiers in Genetics

Genetics

Magdalena Johanna Konopka¹  Maurice Petrus Zeegers²  Gerard Rietjens³  Billy Sperlich⁴ 

[1] Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands;Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands;Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands;Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands;School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands;Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium;Integrative and Experimental Exercise Science and Training, Institute of Sport Science, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany;

关键词: athletes;    exercise;    genetics;    genomics;    SWOT analysis;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fgene.2023.1232987

 received in 2023-06-08, accepted in 2023-07-26,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Exercise genetics/genomics is a growing research discipline comprising several Strengths and Opportunities but also deals with Weaknesses and Threats. This “systematic SWOT overview of non-systematic reviews” (sSWOT) aimed to identify the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats linked to exercise genetics/genomics. A systematic search was conducted in the Medline and Embase databases for non-systematic reviews to provide a comprehensive overview of the current literature/research area. The extracted data was thematically analyzed, coded, and categorized into SWOT clusters. In the 45 included reviews five Strengths, nine Weaknesses, six Opportunities, and three Threats were identified. The cluster of Strengths included “advances in technology”, “empirical evidence”, “growing research discipline”, the “establishment of consortia”, and the “acceptance/accessibility of genetic testing”. The Weaknesses were linked to a “low research quality”, the “complexity of exercise-related traits”, “low generalizability”, “high costs”, “genotype scores”, “reporting bias”, “invasive methods”, “research progress”, and “causality”. The Opportunities comprised of “precision exercise”, “omics”, “multicenter studies”, as well as “genetic testing” as “commercial”-, “screening”-, and “anti-doping” detection tool. The Threats were related to “ethical issues”, “direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies”, and “gene doping”. This overview of the present state of the art research in sport genetics/genomics indicates a field with great potential, while also drawing attention to the necessity for additional advancement in methodological and ethical guidance to mitigate the recognized Weaknesses and Threats. The recognized Strengths and Opportunities substantiate the capability of genetics/genomics to make significant contributions to the performance and wellbeing of athletes.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Konopka, Sperlich, Rietjens and Zeegers.