The study, led by Gil Rodas, a doctor at Futbol Club Barcelona and head of the Sports Medicine Unit at Hospital Clínic-Hospital Sant Joan de Déu in Barcelona, and Iñaki Martin-Subero, ICREA researcher and head of the IDIBAPS Biomedical Epigenomics research group, analyses how DNA methylation—an epigenetic biomarker that reflects how the body responds to the environment and physical exertion—is related to injury risk and the biological clock in the context of professional football.
The study, recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, analyses for the first time the epigenome of blood samples from 74 football players from FCB's men's and women's first division teams. The study explores whether there are “biological signatures” that help explain why some athletes suffer more injuries than others and how elite sports practice can influence biological age.
Discovery of an epigenetic fingerprint associated with injury risk
The epigenome is defined as a switch that activates or deactivates genes and can be modified by lifestyle. Raúl Fernández Pérez, first author of the study, explains: “Epigenetics is a very powerful tool for better understanding how professional sport affects cells at the molecular level.”
Thanks to the exhaustive collection of data on injuries to FCB players—with anonymized samples to ensure data protection—the researchers have been able to identify players with a greater or lesser tendency to be injured. By comparing the methylation of these two groups with different injury histories, epigenetic differences were found.
Although overall the differences between players with a higher and lower tendency to get injured are subtle, the study has identified more than 1,000 regions of DNA where methylation patterns change consistently between the two groups. Gil Rodas states: “The identification of an epigenetic signature associated with injury risk is important, as it will allow us to adjust aspects of physical load, nutrition, and lifestyle in order to prevent injuries and enable players to develop their full potential.”
Elite sport and epigenetic age
The research team also used several different “epigenetic clocks” to calculate biological age, an indicator of cellular stress that does not always coincide with chronological age.
A relevant finding is that male players showed greater acceleration of biological age than female players, which is consistent with previous observations in the general population. However, Iñaki Martin-Subero clarifies: “In this case, the differences between men and women were observed in a context of athletes in very good health and with highly controlled living conditions. The differences in epigenetic age were particularly striking, and we think they may be associated with the high levels of professionalization and stress associated with men's football compared to women's football.”
In addition, individuals with higher “epigenetic age” showed extensive changes in DNA methylation, many of which were related to extracellular matrix and cytoskeleton functions—fundamental components of muscle and connective tissues.
A strategic alliance between the Barça Innovation Hub and IDIBAPS–Hospital Clínic
The study was made possible thanks to close collaboration between FC Barcelona's Medical Department, the Barça Innovation Hub, and Clínic-IDIBAPS, whose biobank was responsible for processing and storing the athletes' blood samples, as well as their epigenetic analysis by Iñaki Martin-Subero's team. This alliance, unique in Europe, consolidates the joint commitment of the Club and leading research centres to a safer, more scientific, and fully personalized model of elite sport. The cooperation between leading medical institutions and a top international sports club sets a precedent in the integration of advanced biomedical research in the field of sports performance.
The Barça Innovation Hub has developed an extensive network of international collaborators in biomedicine, technology, and sports innovation over the years to transfer laboratory findings to the playing field. As Gil Rodas points out: “At the Barça Innovation Hub, we collaborate with leading experts in various biomedical disciplines to conduct the highest level of research in the context of elite sports.” This work represents a decisive step towards the integration of omic technologies (genomics, epigenomics, metabolomics, etc.) in professional sports. The combination of this data using advanced statistics and artificial intelligence opens the door to much more accurate injury prediction models, allowing training and lifestyle adjustments to prevent injuries and optimize athletic performance.
Study of reference
Pérez, R.F., Lecumberri-Arteta, J., Kulis, M. et al. Epigenetic signatures, age acceleration, and injury risk in elite female and male soccer players. Sci Rep 15, 41826 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-25784-w
