Background and Study Aim. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of e-sports on physical activity level and body composition. Material and Methods. The athletes who participated in the study were 19.92± 2.21 years of age, 1.73±0.04 m body height and 78.35±6.52 kg body weight. A total of 137 athletes participated in the study, including 27 from Turkey, 47 from South Korea and 63 from the United States (USA). The data was collected by e-mail from the sports clubs. The athletes who representing their country in international competitions involved in the study. The data obtained were evaluated in the SPSS program. Results. According to the findings of the study, the body mass index (BMI) of e-sport athletes is 26.03±1.85, the number of physical activity steps is 6646±3400 and the daily e-sport hours are 9.34±1.12. The BMI was determined as USA 26.12, South Korea 26.02 and Turkey 25.84 respectively. The number of physical activity steps was identified as 5255 steps in the US, 7785 steps in South Korea and 7909 steps in Turkey. The daily e-sports hour is set at US 9.63 hours, Turkey 9.29 hours and South Korea 8.97 hours. In comparison of country-based athletes, there was a significant difference between physical activity level and daily e-sports hours at p<0.05. The value of BMI is not different. Although it is not statistically related to the physical activity level and BMI. There was no statistically significant relationship between daily e-sports hours and BMI and physical activity step counts. However, as the time of e-sports increases, BMI increases and the number of physical activity steps decreases. Conclusions. As a result it is seen in the findings of the research that athletes dealing with e-sports are included in the fat group as a body composition and their daily physical activity steps are low. In addition, according to the results of the research, e-sports are thought to have negative effects on physical health. Thanks to the physical activity programs to be applied to these athletes, it is thought that their body composition and physical activity levels can be improved.

The present study aimed to examine the vitamin D receptor (VDR), rs2228570 polymorphism, and its effect on elite athletes’ performance. A total of 60 elite athletes (31 sprint/power and 29 endurance) and 20 control/ physically inactive, aged 18–35, voluntarily participated in the study. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) score scale was used to determine the performance levels of the athletes’ personal best (PB). Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed by the genomic DNA isolated from the peripheral blood of the participants. Sports type, sex, and competitive performance were chosen as the parameters to compare within and between the groups by linear regression models. The results showed no statistically significant difference between the CC, TC, and TT genotypes within and between the groups (p > 0.05). Additionally, our results underlined that there were no statistically significant differences for the association of rs2228570 polymorphism with PBs within the groups of the (p > 0.05) athletes. The genetic profile in the selected gene was similar in elite endurance, sprint athletes, and in controls, suggesting that rs2228570 polymorphism does not determine competitive performance in the analyzed athlete cohort.

Purpose: Recent research suggests a link between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the mTOR signaling pathway, a key regulator of protein synthesis and muscle growth. However, it remains unclear whether BDNF influences muscle growth and power performance. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between the expression of BDNF and MTOR genes in human skeletal muscle and examine the association between genetically predicted higher expression of the BDNF gene and muscle fiber size, lean mass, power performance, and power athlete status. Methods: The study involved 456,382 subjects, including 285 athletes, 112 physically active individuals with muscle fiber composition data, 291 sedentary individuals with gene expression data, 5451 controls, and 450,243 UK Biobank participants. The muscle fiber composition was evaluated using immunohistochemistry, while gene expression analysis was performed using RNA sequencing. BDNF genotyping was carried out using real-time PCR or microarrays. Results: We found that BDNF gene expression was positively associated with MTOR gene expression in the vastus lateralis (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, genetically predicted higher BDNF expression (i.e., carriage of the C allele of the rs6265 (Val66Met) BDNF polymorphism) was positively associated with the cross-sectional area of fast-twitch muscle fibers in athletes (p = 0.0069), appendicular lean mass (p = 2.6 × 10⁻⁷), personal best scores of power athletes (p = 0.029), and power athlete status (p = 0.0056). Conclusion: Our study demonstrates a positive correlation between BDNF and MTOR gene expression in human skeletal muscle, with genetically predicted higher BDNF expression associated with greater muscle fiber size, lean mass, enhanced power performance, and power athlete status.

Limited number of researches exist on the relationship between PPARGC1A gene polymorphism (rs8192678) and affects the athletic performance. Thus, the present study aims to decipher any possible association of the rs8192678 polymorphism in the PPARGC1A gene with the competitive performances of Turkish elite track and field athletes. A total of 60 elite athletes (31 sprint/power and 29 endurance) and 20 control/sedentary with the ages of 18-35 voluntarily participated in the study. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) score scale was used to determine the performance levels of the personal best (PB) of the athletes. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed by the genomic DNA sample isolated from blood of the participants. The association between rs8192678 polymorphism and PB was examined by one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with the adjustment of sex and sport experience. According to the results, there were not any significant deviation between the wild-type (G/G), heterozygote (G/A) and homozygote (A/A) genotypes within and between the groups (p>0.05). Our results underlined that there were not any significances for association of rs8192678 polymorphism with PBs within the groups of the sprint/power and endurance athletes. However, it is recommended that similar studies be conducted with more participants to provide clearer information about the research.