Lack of association between angiotensin-converting enzyme genotype and muscle strength in Peruvian older people

Aging can be associated with decreasing muscle strength, and related factors are comorbidities, sex, physical activity, and possibly genetic factors. Among genetic factors the renin-angiotensin system is of interest, but data on the Peruvian population is lacking. The objective of our study was to evaluate the association of grip strength and angiotensin convertase enzyme (ACE) polymorphism in Peruvian older people. A cross-sectional study in a convenience sample of 104 participants over 60 years in Lima, Perú, with analysis of the ACE polymorphism, was performed. We studied 104 participants, 46 men (44,2%) and 58 women (55,8%), with a mean age and standard deviation (SD) of 73,7 (7,4) years, range between 60-90 years. The frequency of D/D, I/D and I/I genotypes was 12,7; 43,7 and 43,7% respectively. The genotype distribution of ACE polymorphism agreed with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p=0,746). The mean (SD) of grip strength in the D/D, I/D and I/I polymorphisms were 24,8 (7,2); 22,8 (7,2) and 23,4 (7,6) kg respectively; no significant difference was observed (p=0,41) between genetic groups. In this small convenience sample of older Peruvians, no association was found between grip strength and ACE genotype.