Relationship Between Digit Ratio And Athletic Ability Of Elite Endurance Athletes

Objective: Digit ratio refers to ratio of each finger(toe) length. It is controlled by homeobox genes(Hox), and keeps consistent through the entire life. Objective of this study is to compare the differences of race, sports and genetic between the digit ratios with athletic ability of elite aerobic endurance athletes.It will provide a help for the athletes. Methods: Four groups of people were selected as research subjects. They are international(African) and domestic excellent marathon athletes, ordinary person without any sports training, domestic excellent kayak athletes, middle-long-distance retired athletes family and common family. Their fingers were pictured vertically with digital cameras using self-designed measuring equipment. Finger pictures were processed by Image-Pro Plus 6.0, and digit ratio of all subjects were calculated and analyzed statistically with SPSS 18.0. Results:(1) As one of biological genetic markers, digit ratio(2D: 4D) is controlled by Hox and prenatal testosterone concentration, and has sex dimorphism. In general, 2D:4D of both male and female is less than 1, but it was lower in male than that in female.(2) 2D:4D showed significant correlations with athletic ability, referring to higher levels of athletes with lower 2D:4D. 2D:5D、3D:4D、3D:5D may also have somewhat relations with athletic ability, but needs more investigations.(3) This study showed significant differences in digit ratio between races. 2D:4D of Africans was lower than that of Chinese. The disparity of African and Chinese on 2D: 4D with African marathon athletes and Chinese marathon athletes is reduced. It reflects the greater difference among the different races of men marathon athletes, compared to female athletes.(4) There were differences in digit ratio among athletes in different sports. While 2D:4D is considered as a major factor of selecting athletes, standards of digit ratio are established based on different races and sports.(5) Offspring of athletes retired from middle-long-distance races inherited lower 2D:4D。 Conclusion: As one of biological genetic markers, 2D:4D shows sex dimorphism. This study showed that 2D:4D have significant relationship with athletic ability, races, and sports, and it can be inherited. It suggested that digit ratio of 2D:4D could be considered as an index to select athletes.