Detection and Use of Performance-Enhancing Drugs
Posted November 19th, 2006 at 7:00 AM by Hariz Siddiqui
Section: News & Results, Drugs In Sports
World records in sports are broken by better athletes, better training methods, better nutrition or new drugs. Drugs appear to be the cause of many recent records in sports requiring strength and speed. Many bicycle racers know that some drugs that make them better riders can’t be detected by testing techniques that are available today.
A recent study shows that laboratories have no definitive test to discover athletes who take erythropoietin (EPO), a drug to boost their red blood cell counts (Haematologica, August, 2006). Athletes have found that taking very low doses of EPO daily will raise red blood cell counts, and will not give test results high enough to show that they are taking extra EPO.
The primary limiting factor to how fast a person can ride a bicycle over long distances is the time it takes to move oxygen from the lungs into the muscles. So anything that increases oxygen transport from the lungs into the bloodstream, or carries more oxygen in the bloodstream, or moves oxygen faster from the blood into muscles will make a person a faster bicycle racer. Since more than 95 percent of the oxygen in the bloodstream is carried by hemoglobin in red blood cells, anything that increases the concentration of red blood cells will help a racer ride faster.
When healthy people do not get enough oxygen, their kidneys produce a hormone called EPO that causes the bone marrow to make more red blood cells. When athletes are given additional EPO, their red blood cell counts rise and their performance improves.
Doctors can do blood tests for EPO, but the hormone lasts only a few days in the bloodstream, so athletes who stop taking EPO several days before testing may not be caught. Some athletes tried to foil the test by adding pepsin, a chemical found in spot removers, to their urine samples. However this destroyed all of the EPO including their own natural EPO, so they failed the test because a person is supposed to have some EPO. The new study shows that athletes have now found a way to circumvent the test by taking very low doses of EPO every day.
More about: [Performance-Enhancing Drugs]
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
This post is written by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, M.D. and was originally published on his blog “Fitness and Health E-Zine”.
Dr. Mirkin is board certified in Sports Medicine and has practiced for over 40 years. He has completed more than 40 marathons and was a talk show host of a nationally-syndicated radio program for about 25 years. For more articles by Dr. Mirkin, please check out: www.DrMirkin.com
Please also be advised that Dr. Mirkin’s opinions and the references cited are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: bloodstream, doping, dr gabe mirkin, drug testing, epo, erythropoietin, Floyd Landis, Marion Jones, oxygen, red blood cells, testosterone, world record
Like what you see? Subscribe to our feed!
The Final Sprint
I don’t know how I feel about athletes taking drugs. If you can’t stop them maybe they shouldn’t be banned at all.
November 19th, 2006 at 11:01 pmplease leave the athletes alone, they’re trying thier best, and all we continue to do is stop them from being better
January 8th, 2007 at 7:27 pmDear Brock,
Although your are entitled to your opinion - I strongly disagree. Performance enhancing drugs give athletes an unfair advantage and promote the wrong message in society.
Athletes’ try their best when they train day in and day out - using their inner drive and determination. Using HGH and steroids is far from trying your best and it disgraces the purity of sports. it also sends younger generations of athletes the wrong message; one that can seriously endanger their lives.
I’m sorry Brock - but athletes do not need to inject themselves with testosterone to impress us, be champions, build a legacy or inspire us. All they need is heart and a will to succeed.
Adam Jacobs
January 8th, 2007 at 8:07 pmEditor-in-Chief
TheFinalSprint.com
I think that it is a very bad thing to take performance enhancing drugs, of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I’m not saying anyone is wrong. I am a young athlete and this sends me the wrong message. I don’t want to be a known sports ledgend by cheating my way to victory. It is an unfair atvantage and I would be very angry if I found out that people I play in basketball took enhancements to up their game. It takes the fun out of it and the drugs become their lives.
March 26th, 2007 at 2:10 pm