Possible relationship between genetic polymorphisms and the risk of exercise addiction among Turkish elite athletes: an exploratory pilot study

Exercise addiction (EA) is a complex behavioral phenotype characterized by a loss of control over exercise despite adverse physical, psychological, and social consequences. Although its psychological and performance-related aspects have been widely studied, its underlying etiology remains largely unclear, leading to increased interest in potential genetic vulnerability. Therefore, an exploratory pilot study investigated genetic variants associated with EA among elite athletes using a genome-wide association study (GWAS). The study comprised 168 Turkish elite athletes. Allele frequencies of critical single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were further assessed among a comparison group of 5137 healthy individuals using data from a publicly available database. EA was assessed using the Exercise Addiction Inventory. Genome-wide genotyping was conducted using a DNA microarray, and associations were examined using linear mixed models adjusted for sport discipline, sex, age, and training experience. Although no variants reached genome-wide significance ( p < 1.11 × 10 − 7 ), 11 SNPs exceeded the suggestive significance threshold ( p < 1.00 × 10 − 5 ), including rs79233502, rs13318101, rs7699799, rs4690145, rs3799055, rs7789550, rs73682313, rs6577987, rs117523538, rs7312447, and rs113672848, which were identified as potentially associated with EA. Notably, previous studies have also reported an association between rs7789550 and alcohol dependence. The present exploratory pilot study provides preliminary evidence regarding genetic variants that may be associated with EA among elite athletes. However, given the limited sample size, exploratory design, and absence of an independent replication cohort, the findings should be interpreted with caution and considered hypothesis-generating. Further studies with larger independent cohorts are required to replicate and validate these findings.