One reason that Jamaica produces so many sprinters in comparison to its population of around 2.8 million comes down to a gene called the angiotensin-converting enzyme. Those that have a certain variation of this gene called "D allele" have the ability to pump blood to their muscles faster. People coming from west Africa are more likely to have this gene variation than almost anyone around the world, including Europe and Asia except in Jamaica this is even more common.
It is believed that the reason for this is during the transatlantic slave trading period many of those who were brought over to America from Africa would sadly die before reaching land. This meant that those who survived had stronger and more able genes. Since Jamaica is a small and reasonably populated island this strong gene could thrive. The gene ACTN3 has a variant called 577RR. This gene helps muscles during their contractions. This is found in around 70% of all US athletes but it is also found in 75% of all Jamaicans
Another reason that Jamaican sprinters seem to have a clear edge over other athletes is the quality of the land that they grow their food on. The majority of top Jamaican athletes come the region of Jamaica containing all of the countries aluminium deposits. It is believed that aluminium in the diet of a pregnant mother can cause the gene ACNT3 to be more active as this gene is only able to work during the first three months of pregnancy as this is when the number of fast twitch muscle fibres are determined.
It is believed that the reason for this is during the transatlantic slave trading period many of those who were brought over to America from Africa would sadly die before reaching land. This meant that those who survived had stronger and more able genes. Since Jamaica is a small and reasonably populated island this strong gene could thrive. The gene ACTN3 has a variant called 577RR. This gene helps muscles during their contractions. This is found in around 70% of all US athletes but it is also found in 75% of all Jamaicans
Another reason that Jamaican sprinters seem to have a clear edge over other athletes is the quality of the land that they grow their food on. The majority of top Jamaican athletes come the region of Jamaica containing all of the countries aluminium deposits. It is believed that aluminium in the diet of a pregnant mother can cause the gene ACNT3 to be more active as this gene is only able to work during the first three months of pregnancy as this is when the number of fast twitch muscle fibres are determined.
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