Introduction
TIGER stands for "Training Interventions and Genetics of Exercise Response." The TIGER Study is designed to investigate how variation in DNA sequence may influence levels of body fatness and fitness both prior to and following a 30-week exercise program. Almost every cell in your body contains DNA, which is the set of "master instructions" that directs development, bodily functions, and even behavior. Even though the DNA of all humans is more than 99% identical, we only need to look around us at the variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and faces to know that there is variation in the human genome. And it is the small differences in DNA sequence between people that influence, at least in part, why people look different, have different risks for some diseases and conditions, and/or respond differently to the same medical treatment or training program.
While we know that genes are important in our overall fitness, how genes may alter response to exercise and diet interventions is not known.
The second phase of the study will include a multi-racial group of 3,200 men and women (18-30 yrs) drawn from the student population at the University of Alabama at Birmingham – more than 2,000 students from the University of Houston and 1,400 UAB students have already participated in the TIGER Study. The exercise training protocol is administered at the UAB Recreation Center.