Can DNA Test Predict ‘Super Athlete’ Possibility?

May 18, 2009 10:00 pm US/Central
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ? Reporting Ginger Allen

A simple DNA test may be able to determine if a child has what it takes to become a ‘super athlete’. While some claim that, knowing the results could help parents make decisions about where their kids might excel; other local parents and doctors wonder if such a test is really a good idea.

Nico Rodvold of Dallas is an active 2-year-old who never seems to slow down. “Imagine the most active child you can imagine and that’s what I have. That’s Nico,” said the boy’s mother, Amparo.

Amparo has run in multiple marathons and Nico’s dad trained for the 1996 Olympics. But will great genes help the little boy become an Olympic sprinter in the 2028 games?

Mike Weinstein, of Atlas Sports Genetics, claims that his DNA test offers parents a glimpse of the future. “You can test a person directly right after they’re born,” he explained. “We’re really trying to design the test to open up the doors and widen the range of available sports that may be best suited for a particular person’s, the way they’ve been built.”

Considering Weinstein’s declaration, CBS 11 News asked Nico’s parents to give the test a try. After taking a small swipe inside Nico’s cheek, the family sent the test to a lab in Australia.

Once the sample was received, scientists would analyze the ACTN3 gene. Every human being has two ACTN3 genes; one from each parent. The testing in Australia would look for a variant on either gene. If there is no sign of the variant, the similarities may signal a future ‘elite athlete’.

Dr. Angela Scheuerle, medical geneticist at Medical City Dallas Hospital, is concerned that most parents don’t truly understand the science of genetics and she worries some will take the results too seriously. “Just ethically, I have difficulty with the idea of determining somebody’s future with a single sort of ‘wishy washy’ test as a baby,” she said.

It took two weeks to get the test results on Nico and his parents. His father read the results. “He may be equally suited for sprint and power and/or endurance.”

The Rodvold’s say the test results won’t change how they raise Nico or any of their three children, including one that is due any day now.

The Rodvold’s, Atlas Sports Genetics, and Dr. Scheuerle all agree that the test is just one of many factors that can determine whether a child will be an elite athlete. All say that coaching, skill, and desire are just as important.

The sports genetics DNA test costs $150.

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