Abstract
Fitness is a complex phenotype which is influenced by many environmental and genetic factors. Most studies expect a significant contribution of heritability in individual traits of a sport phenotype or in particular morphological, physiological and biochemical parameters that determines.
Thanks to the dynamic progress of modern technologies in the last ten years, it is possible to study in detail the molecular nature of phenotype variability, and thus the genetic conditioning of fitness or sport performance. In spite of the efforts of many research teams and in spite of interesting findings from many studies, there is still not much knowledge about the genetic background of sport talent.
The investigated variations of gene-candidates can potentially explain partial components of performance, but only in the range of a few percent. Additionally, we can find considerable inconsistency in the results of studies within sporting and non-sporting populations.
The primary aim of sport genomics is not the deterministic assessment of genetic traits of the given individual (talent prediction), but importantly the individualization of training processes and further associated lifestyle factors. Among these factors it is especially nutrition which is considered to be an environmental factor that has the greatest influence on health and that at the same time intensively contributes to the origination of many illnesses.
Given the complexity of environmental factors which interact with genetic and epigenetic characteristics of the individual, and also given current knowledge from technological progress, it is obvious that it will not be possible to simplify the study of complex phenotype within currently used conception "influencing factor - phenotype". If we really want to understand the meaning of common gene polymorphisms for a phenotype, it is necessary to integrate information about lifestyle and conditions with data of medical indicators and also with genotype data.