The D allele of angiotensin-converting enzyme gene is associated with greater hemodynamic response to resistance exercises

Hypothesis/introduction: The association of ACE I/D polymorphism and hemodynamic response to exercise have been limited to primarily aerobic exercises. We hypothesized that D allele carriers would show greater hemodynamic response to resistance exercise, as has been observed with aerobic. This study aimed to investigate the association of ACE I/D polymorphism and hemodynamic (blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and rate-pressure product (RPP)) response to resistance exercise in young healthy subjects. Materials and methods: ACE I/D polymorphisms were studied by PCR analysis from 75 healthy men. Subjects completed a resistance exercise session of three sets of 10 knee extension repetitions with loads of 50, 75 and 100% of 10RM and two-minute rest intervals. Hemodynamic measures were recorded before and immediately after each set. Analysis of variance was used to identify significant differences among ACE genotypes. Results:ACE I/D polymorphism is associated with hemodynamic response to resistance exercise, as healthy subjects with ACE D allele were prone to higher responses. In addition, this phenotypic difference seems to be a load-dependent trend. Conclusion:ACE DD carriers exhibit greater heart work during resistance exercise. Future studies should focus on the influence of resistance training period with different workloads on the hemodynamic response in healthy individuals with different ACE genotypes.