Silva, Hugo-HenriqueTavares, ValériaSilva, Maria RaquelNeto, Beatriz VieiraCerqueira, FátimaMedeiros, R.2022-07-282022-07-282022-07-20Silva H-H, Tavares V, Silva M-RG, Neto BV, Cerqueira F, Medeiros R. FAAH rs324420 Polymorphism Is Associated with Performance in Elite Rink-Hockey Players. Biology. 2022; 11(7):1076. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11071076http://hdl.handle.net/10284/11040Genetic factors are among the major contributors to athletic performance. Although more than 150 genetic variants have been correlated with elite athlete status, genetic foundations of competition-facilitating behavior influencing elite performances are still scarce. This is the first study designed to examine the distribution of genetic determinants in the athletic performance of elite rink-hockey players. A total of 116 of the world’s top best rink-hockey players (28.2 ± 8.7 years old; more than 50% are cumulatively from the best four world teams and the best five Portuguese teams), who participated at the elite level in the National Rink-Hockey Championship in Portugal, were evaluated in anthropometric indicators/measurements, training conditions, sport experience and sport injuries history. Seven genetic polymorphisms were analyzed. Polymorphism genotyping was performed using the TaqMan® Allelic Discrimination Methodology. Rink-hockey players demonstrated significantly different characteristics according to sex, namely anthropometrics, training habits, sports injuries and genetic variants, such as Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) rs731236 (p < 0.05). The Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) rs324420 A allele was significantly associated with improved athletic performance (AA/AC vs. CC, OR = 2.80; 95% Cl, 1.23–6.35; p = 0.014; p = 0.008 after Bootstrap) and confirmed as an independent predictor among elite rink-hockey players (adjusted OR = 2.88; 95% Cl, 1.06–7.80; p = 0.038). Our results open an interesting link from FAAH-related biology to athletic performance.engElite athleteRink-hockeyGenePolymorphismSportPerformanceSuccessjournal article10.3390/biology110710762079-7737