PERFORMANCE ENHANCING SUBSTANCES

AND TECHNIQUES

What is an Ergogenic Aid?

- A substance or device that enhances performance

- Illegal (e.g. blood doping) or legal (e.g. carbohydrate loading)

3 Types Ergogenic Aids

1. Nutritional Aids

2. Pharmacological Aids

3. Physiological Aids

1. Nutritional Aids

Substances used to enhance performance

Nutrients, metabolic by products of nutrients, food, substances commonly found in food provided in greater amounts than normal

Example: Creatine

Description of the substance:

- an amino acid produced in the liver

that supplies some energy to muscle

cells

- found in skeletal muscle

- increases production of ATP

Why does one take it?- Recall, when ATP is used during short

bursts of activity, it turns into ADP- ADP needs a phosphocreatine to turn

back into ATP- Supplementing extra creatine speeds up

this process- Access is excreted

Availability and Cost

- Health food stores, gyms, online, etc…- 20$ to 30$ for a container (500g-1000)- Found naturally in red meats and some

carbs

Short and Long Term Effects- Water retention - More energy - Muscles cramps- Upset stomach

- Liver dysfunction - Kidney damage - Unknown

Legal or Illegal- Legal

Dangers and Risks- Possible damage to organs- May suppress bodies own need to

create creatine naturally- Gateway drug- Most unknown

2. Pharmacological Aids Aka ‘doping’ the use of an artifice, whether substance

or method, potentially dangers to an athlete’s health and/or capable of enhancing performance

Need to be aware of over the counter drugs that contain traces

Almost universally banned Regular testing

Example: Anabolic SteroidsDescription of the Substance: - Synthetic derivatives of the male

hormone testosterone

Why does one take it?

- Increase protein synthesis- Aids in the formation of muscle cells- Muscle grow bigger and repair faster

Availability and Cost

- Drug deals, online sites- $60 to $100 per bottle

Short and Long Term Effects- Muscle size increase- Liver damage- Aggressiveness- Facial hair growth - Deepening voice- Irregularities in the

menstrual cycle

Legal or Illegal- Illegal without prescription

Dangers or Risks- See side effects- Organ damage- Remember the man whose arms

exploded ????

3. Physiological Aids

Practices used by an athlete Help with performance May alter heart rate, adrenaline rate,

change the growth of muscles and bones

Types: blood doping and drug masking

Recall;

Performance Enhancing Substances Include:

1. Nutritional AIDS Vitamins and minerals Proteins and amino acids Releasers of growth hormones Carnitine Creatin Caffine

2. Pharmacological AIDS Pain masking drugs Anabolic steroids Prohormone HGH Erythropoitin

Restrictions: alcohol – prohibited Marijuana – impairs psychomotor Local anaesthetics Corticosteriods Beta bolckers

3. Physiological AIDS

4. Blood Doping- removal of one’s own red blood cells- give the body enough time to produce more- Then re-inject removed blood cells, thereby

increasing the total volume of oxygen carrying red blood cells

- Higher red blood cell count cause heart to work harder and increase the risk of cardiac fatigue and heart failure

- Nowadays, blood doping has been replaced by injecting EPO (which causes body to create new RBC)

2. Drug Masking

- Drugs used to mask or reduce presence of banned substances – 2 forms

- Agents that dilute the concentration of banned drugs in bloodstream

- Diuretics which increase amount of urine produced to dilute the substance

Drug Testing - Successful drug testing involves random, year

round, and unannounced testing- Athlete provides urine sample – usually after

competition but sometimes before- Even if detected, may not be enough- Feerations make pre-set limits for each banned

substance- Masking agents are also banned- HGH, testosterone and EPO are more difficult to

detect because they have to be distinguished from naturally occuring hormones in the body

- Testing positive is based on threshold values for naturally occuring substances in the blood