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Not all ergogenic aids are illegal; many such as dietary supplements, vitamin supplements, or protein supplements are widely used and accepted, however, many are illegal and are banned by many athletic committees(Ahrendt,1). I will be discussing these illegal aids and the affect they have on the athlete and the athletic community. Some of the more commonly used illegal aids include blood doping, caffeine, corticosteroids, diuretics, and human growth hormones (HGH). Blood doping is taking blood out of oneself or from someone else and injecting it back into the blood stream (blood,1). This is done by taking out the blood and freezing it for 5-6 weeks (this is so the body can rebuild its supply of RBC (red blood cells) and hemoglobin). Then one to seven days before the event injecting it back in to the body (Goldman,47). This theoretically increases the VO2 max by in the amount of RBC and hemoglobin in the blood. The VO2 is the maximum amount of oxygen the blood can hold (blood,2). Athletes that use blood doping include long-distance runners, cyclist, and any other athletes needing long endurance. The increase in VO 2 max seems to be the only advantage of blood doping. This gives the athlete an unfair advantage by allowing them to have an increased endurance (Shipe,76). There are no real medical uses for blood doping, but it can be considered a form of blood transfusion in which case it has a medical use. Transfusions are used to help people who have anemia, defect in blood cells. Anemia comes in many forms including sickle cell or hypo ferric (low iron). This is done by taking donor blood and injecting it into the body of the patient, giving the person enough normal blood to live longer then they would with out it (Feinstein,1). The effectiveness of blood doping is unsure, researches don’t know if it truly works. Some reports state that the added RBC and hemoglobin increase the viscosity of the blood, which in turn actually decreases the VO2 max(Goldman,50). The increase in viscosity can lead to an overload of work in the liver and kidney, which could lead to future problems in the liver and kidney (Shipe,77). Another precaution is if the blood that is injected does not come from the person it is being injected into there is a possibility of getting a disease such as AIDS. Blood doping is nearly impossible to discover in tests because the athlete is usually injecting their own blood into their system. The increased hemoglobin and RBC in the body can be accredited to high altitude workouts (working at high altitudes for extended amounts of time can increase hemoglobin and RBC’s). Even though it is near impossible to test for the Olympic Committee still bans its use in hope to find a test. Caffeine is a chemical found in the leaves, seeds, and fruit of over 60 species of plant. It is found in coffee, tea, some soft drinks, and chocolate. It can also be taken as a tablet at high doses in products such as No-Doz or Vivarin (Donahue,33). It is banned as an ergogenic aid in large doses. Caffeine is believed to increase endurance and alertness. An athlete that would be inclined to use caffeine is one who desires an increased alertness such as a football linebacker or safety. It can also be use to gain that last bit of extra endurance at the end of a match or race such as again football players or cyclist (Goldman,28). There is research that states it can help ease tension headaches when taken with ibuprofen(Sparano,1). It can also be used in such cases as night shifts in the work place or in the military. There have been studies to show it increases the alertness of these people and allows them to stay awake during the shifts. There are also studies being done that are looking at possible beneficial effects to help protect against Parkinson’s (Caffeine,1). A dependency occurs to people who consume caffeine daily and attempt to stop. This is one large disadvantage. They complain of headaches and nausea. Other negative side effects are the increase of blood pressure and heart rate, insomnia, heartburn, and it being a diuretic, which can cause dehydration (Donohue,35). Corticosteroids are steroids synthesized from cholesterol by the adrenal cortex. Corticosteroids reduce the pain sensation. It can be applied as a cream over an injured area or as an injection directly to an injured spot. It is also inhaled as in the case of asthma patients(Goldman, 64). Corticosteroids help a player who is injured play without feeling the pain. The athletes in high contact sports like football and hockey are where the highest use is, but any athlete who wants to play through the pain can use it. It helps the athlete by not allowing him to feel the pain of an injury (Shipe,41). In the movie “Varsity Blues”, in the locker room during a game there is a player having an injection in to his knee that is an injection of corticosteroids. This allows the player to play through the injuries to his knee without feeling the pain. Corticosteroids are used medically by Asthma patients to relieve asthma attacks mostly use Corticosteroids (Goldman,64). It is also used in pregnancy to reduce the pain of childbirth, however, using it in that fashion has its own risks. The corticosteroids have been linked to birth defects and complications during pregnancy (McKenna,1). From an athletic standpoint when using corticosteroids, the athlete runs the risk of a serious injury. Since the athlete can’t feel the injured area, a rupture can occur without the athletes knowledge ending the athletes season or even career. Diuretics are chemicals that increase urinary output. They do this by inhibiting certain hormones in the body that cause the body to retain water. There are many kinds of diuretics. Alcohol is one kind, but there are also natural diuretics that the body itself produces. Diuretics can be introduced orally or intravenously, but no matter the way they are taken they all cause the body to excrete large amounts of water (Donohue,81). Diuretics are used in sports by athletes who must weigh in before matches such as wrestlers and boxers. This is a help to the athlete because he/she can lose a lot of water weight just before the match without having to do extra exercise to work the weight off (Goldman,71). This is unfair to the other athletes who do it the harder original way and also have to lose a little bit of muscle mass to lose that extra pound unlike the athlete who uses the diuretic to get rid of the water weight and keep the extra muscle mass. There are several medical uses of diuretics. They can be prescribed for hypertension to lower a patient’s heart rate(Solomon,1). Also, it can be prescribed to patients who are at risk for stroke to lower that risk. Finally, diuretic can lower blood pressure when used with other medications. Diuretics, however, are being linked to and increased risk of hyponatraemia (low levels of salts needed in blood) and an increased risk is heart failure. In addition, the athlete also runs the risk of dehydration with urinating so frequently (Goldman,73). Human Growth Hormones (HGH) are chemicals produced in the pituitary gland in humans. HGH is also known as somatotropin. HGH is the chemical that makes kids grow. HGH, however, have now been produced in a laboratory (Goldman,108). HGH is difficult to test for because the structure of the molecule is almost exact to that of the one produced in the body (Growth,1). Athletes have gotten a hold of the laboratory synthesized HGH and use it to increase muscle strength and size. It is used by many different kinds of athletes including football players, body builders, basketball players, and wrestlers. Athletes use it to gain the strength advantage; to be able to jump higher, hit harder, and in basketball’s case to be taller (Shipe,54). The original purpose of synthesizing HGH was to be able to give to children who don’t produce enough of it and have stunted growth. There are many deformities that occur from this through out the stages of ones life. Their body begins to grow disproportional including large chins, heads, and hands(Goldman,111). As I have shown there are many advantages and disadvantages to ergogenic aids. It is the athletes choice to use them but they will suffer the side affects. In choosing the athlete has to weigh the options of whether or not the slight edge they get in the sport is worth the risk of severely hurting their health. The risk of getting in trouble with the association they are participating in is another risk they have to choose if they want to take or not. If they are caught by the association then they will be unable to do what they wanted to do and that is compete. Bibliography: Work Cited Ahrendt, Dale. Ergogenic aids: counseling the athlete. American family Physicians,63(5), p913. 2001. Blood doping as an ergogenic aid. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 116, 131-134. 1988. Caffeine may ward off Parkinson’s. Science News, 158 (22), 344. 2000. Donohue, T, & Johnson, Neil. Foul play drug abuse in sports. New York: Basil Blackwell Inc.. 1986. Feinstein, R, & Danial, W. Anemia and “anemia” in adolescents: Value in screening examinations for sports. The Physician and Sportsmedicine 12,140. 1984. Goldman, B, & Klatz, R. Death in the locker room II drugs & sports. Chicago, Illinois: Elite Sports Medicine Publication Inc.1992. Growth hormone doping: The search for a test. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 28 (4), 895. 2000. McKenna, D.S., Nagaraja, H.N., Samuels, P., Wittber, G.M. The effects of repeat doses of antenatal corticosteroids on maternal adrenal function. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 183, 669-674. 2000. Shipe, Jr., J, & Savory, J (eds.). Drugs in competitive athletes. Boston: Blackwell Scientific Publications.1991. Solomon, J. Hypertension: New drug therapies. RN, 57, 26-33. 1994. Sparano, Nicole. “Caffeine used to treat tension headaches”, Journal of Family Practice, 50(1),10. 2000 Word Count: 1523
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