Effect of Genotype on the Ergogenic Effects of Caffeine in Collegiate Nordic Skiers

Abstract

Despite its widespread use, caffeine's effects vary widely between individuals. Two factors that are likely to modulate response to caffeine are the rate of its metabolism and the variant of the receptor to which it binds. The activity of the liver enzyme CYP1A2, which is responsible for metabolizing caffeine, is reportedly associated with a single nucleotide polymorphism (A/C) that leads to higher activity in AA individuals than in C‐allele carriers. CYP1A2 genotype appears to affect caffeine outcomes, as evidenced by reports that slow metabolizers have increased risk of heart attack and reduced benefits of caffeine on athletic performance. The adenosine A2A receptor (ADORA2A) is the principal CNS target of caffeine, and a single nucleotide polymorphism (T/C) of ADORA2A is reported to modulate caffeine consumption habits, caffeine‐induced anxiety, and the ergogenic effects of caffeine. The goal of this project was to determine whether genotypes for caffeine metabolism and/or receptor modulate exercise performance in collegiate athletes following caffeine ingestion. Nordic skiers provided DNA samples, which were genotyped for CYP1A2 (rs762551) and ADORA2A (rs5751876). Subjects were tested for lactate threshold under three conditions: baseline, after ingestion of placebo, and after ingestion of 2 mg/kg caffeine. This work may contribute to a better understanding of the variable effects of caffeine consumption on athletic performance.Support or Funding InformationSupported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P20GM0103423.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.