Raising curtains on banned substances in sports

Lance Armstrong has been accused of using the prohibited blood-boosting EPO and the steroid hormone testosterone, according to a 200-page report released by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on Wednesday. While EPO is just one such substance, there are many other similar drugs that enhance an athlete's performance on the field giving him/her unfair advantage over others.

According to the International Olympics Committee, substances and doping methods are banned when they meet at least two of the three following criteria: enhance performance, pose a threat to athlete health, or violate the spirit of sport. Zee Research Group takes the opportunity to raise curtain on some of the substances and methods used for doping in sport:

Erythropoietin (EPO)
A peptide hormone produced naturally by the human body, EPO is released from the kidneys and acts on the bone marrow to stimulate red blood cell production. An injection of EPO increases the concentration of red blood cells in athletes and consequently their aerobic capacity. However, intake of EPO may result in thickening the blood which may cause heart attack, stroke and cerebral or pulmonary embolism.
 

CERA
A third-generation form of EPO, Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator (CERA) increases oxygen-carrying capacity to boost endurance among athletes. CERA is preferred more over EPO because it requires less frequent injection and may also be used post-training for swift recovery.

Anabolic Steroids
Anabolic steroids resemble testosterone. The latter is a hormone which is produced in the testes of males and affects muscle growth. It is believed that raised testosterone levels in the blood could help athletes to increase muscle size and strength. Also, they reduce body fat and the recovery time post-injury. The danger emanating from increased use of testosterone is high blood pressure, acne, abnormalities in liver function, alterations in the menstrual cycle, decline in sperm production and impotence in men, kidney failure and heart disease. They can also make people more aggressive. Examples of anabolic steroids include testosterone, stanozolol, boldenone, nandrolone and clostebol.

Diuretics
Diuretics can be used in a sport as a masking agent to prevent the detection of another banned substance. Apart from masking other drugs, diuretics can also help athletes lose weight, which is unfairly used to qualify in a particular weight category. Examples of commonly used diuretics include furosemide, bendroflumethiazide and metolazone.

Synthetic Oxygen Carriers
Synthetic oxygen carriers are purified proteins or chemicals that have the ability to carry oxygen. They are useful for emergency therapeutic purposes when human blood is not available, the risk of blood infection is high or when there is not enough time to properly cross-match donated blood with a recipient. Its misuse can result in cardiovascular diseases.

Blood Doping
Blood doping has two forms. Autologous blood doping is the transfusion of one’s own blood, which has been stored, refrigerated or frozen, until needed. Homologous blood doping is the transfusion of blood that has been taken from another person with the same blood type. The recent surge in blood doping is probably due to the introduction of efficient EPO detection methods.

Insulin
Insulin enhances glucose uptake into the muscle and aids the formation and storage of muscle glycogen. Mostly used with growth hormones or anabolic steroids, insulin builds high levels of endurance. Its misuse can lead to very low blood sugar levels – a condition known as hypoglycaemia which can lead to the loss of cognitive function, seizures, unconsciousness.