on the tests with manny? i was bored and found this.this is old by the way.don't know if anybody posted this already
[Reprinted by kind permission: Rushall, B. S., and Grant, G. (1998). Hgh, EPO, anabolic steroids, and testosterone in swimming. Australian Swimming and Fitness, , May-June, 42-44. Australian Swimming and Fitness is published by of Caringbah, New South Wales, Australia. This article also appeared in the , which is a section of the Swimming Science Bulletin.]
Doping is an important and controversial issue in swimming. Education is one way of counteracting this negative influence. There is a tendency for most "experts" to assume that any drug or substance is performance enhancing in swimming. However, not all of them are even though they may have been shown to be "performance-enhancing" in other sports. This article briefly covers human growth hormone (hGH), erythropoietin (EPO), and androgenic anabolic steroids and testosterone, and their potential for improving swimming performances. Knowing the potential of these particular substances (hereafter called "drugs") will allow swimmers, parents, coaches, and officials to more effectively monitor swimmers' behaviors for signs of this destructive practice.
Differential responses to various drugs occur in swimming because its events are quite short in duration and neither energy nor oxygen depleting.
Although it is popular to discuss the need for a test to locate augmented hGH it possibly is more important to test for human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG). HCG increases production of endogenous androgenic steroids in males and is considered to be equivalent to the exogenous administration of testosterone. Its use with females is largely unreported and not understood.
Medical side effects. HGH can have several adverse side effects including allergic reactions, diabetes, and depending on dosage, gigantism in teenagers and acromegaly in older athletes when used extensively. If the hGH preparation is extracted from cadaver brains it can cause the fatal neurological condition Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease.
Use in swimming. It is likely that hGH would have little effect on swimming performance even if used for recovery enhancement. Swimming is a sport that embraces chronic overtraining and even further training could heighten the occurrence of over-use injuries (e.g., swimmer's shoulder). On the basis of verified knowledge, it is incorrect to assert that hGH will provide ergogenic benefits for competitive swimming performances.
The absence of established research in sports does not allow the description of practical symptoms indicating the use of this substance.
Given the minimal benefits and the considerable medical risks, hGH is not a drug worth considering for use in swimming if cheating is seen as an avenue for performance improvement.
EPO is produced in natural and synthetic forms and is readily available from veterinary sources where it is used with horses. Depending on how EPO is manufactured, it creates different antibodies. The testing difficulty is logging the signatures of all the different types/origins of EPO. If not all antibodies are assessed, some cheating might be missed. One individual might have a different signature antibody to another depending on who manufactured the synthetic EPO. Unless a test can detect all, and currently only some can be recognized, the test is considered to be unfair.
A second complicating factor is that introduced EPO only lasts in the body for a short time (as little as 24 hours) but its stimulus effect continues for as long as two weeks. Unless a test is conducted when the EPO is present, for example, one day in fourteen among consistent users, accurate testing will miss it. This reduced probability of positive testing makes its use particularly attractive to individuals who participate in dominantly aerobic fatiguing sports.
Medical side effects. EPO commonly "thickens" blood which causes additional circulatory strain as well as damming (clotting) in smaller blood vessels. EPO use is dangerous as it stresses elements in the circulation and quite often is sufficient to precipitate systemic failures that otherwise would function normally under natural levels of stress.
Use in swimming. EPO effects extended performance in events that are largely total body and endurance-dominant (e.g., road cycling, distance and ultra-distance running). It is likely that no benefits will be derived from EPO use because of the short-duration and/or restricted muscular demands of pool-swimming events. Oxygen availability in normal blood is not a factor that limits swimming performance. No improvements would be gained from an oversupply of oxygen.
The absence of established research in sports does not allow the description of practical signs indicating the use of EPO.
Given the doubtful benefits and the great medical risks, EPO is not a drug worth considering for use in swimming if cheating is seen as an avenue for performance improvement.
[
have fun with it floyd and pac fans......
HGH, EPO, ANABOLIC STEROIDS, AND TESTOSTERONE IN SWIMMING
Brent S. Rushall, Ph.D.,R.Psy. and Guy Grant, M.B.,B.S.
Brent S. Rushall, Ph.D.,R.Psy. and Guy Grant, M.B.,B.S.
[Reprinted by kind permission: Rushall, B. S., and Grant, G. (1998). Hgh, EPO, anabolic steroids, and testosterone in swimming. Australian Swimming and Fitness, , May-June, 42-44. Australian Swimming and Fitness is published by of Caringbah, New South Wales, Australia. This article also appeared in the , which is a section of the Swimming Science Bulletin.]
Doping is an important and controversial issue in swimming. Education is one way of counteracting this negative influence. There is a tendency for most "experts" to assume that any drug or substance is performance enhancing in swimming. However, not all of them are even though they may have been shown to be "performance-enhancing" in other sports. This article briefly covers human growth hormone (hGH), erythropoietin (EPO), and androgenic anabolic steroids and testosterone, and their potential for improving swimming performances. Knowing the potential of these particular substances (hereafter called "drugs") will allow swimmers, parents, coaches, and officials to more effectively monitor swimmers' behaviors for signs of this destructive practice.
Differential responses to various drugs occur in swimming because its events are quite short in duration and neither energy nor oxygen depleting.
Human Growth Hormone (hGH)
HGH is a hormone that affects general growth. No research reports using human or animal subjects have shown it to be related to specific performance improvements. The most common hGH, somatropin, acts on bones and muscles non-differentially. It does not selectively respond to only those parts of the body that are stimulated (fatigued) by the specific training effects of swimming. At best hGH might facilitate quicker overall recovery from general fatigue. It is understood that in triathlons and swimming hGH is used in conjunction with anabolic steroids. The steroids provide specific adaptation effects and hGH possibly assists recovery. HGH affects growth rate, has very beneficial medical uses, and in sports is generally used to "grow" larger but not better-functioning athletes. There is some su****ion that in sports where size is important (e.g., basketball, football) hGH users suffer a higher rate of injuries. Long term effects of use in sports are not known. Although it is popular to discuss the need for a test to locate augmented hGH it possibly is more important to test for human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG). HCG increases production of endogenous androgenic steroids in males and is considered to be equivalent to the exogenous administration of testosterone. Its use with females is largely unreported and not understood.
Medical side effects. HGH can have several adverse side effects including allergic reactions, diabetes, and depending on dosage, gigantism in teenagers and acromegaly in older athletes when used extensively. If the hGH preparation is extracted from cadaver brains it can cause the fatal neurological condition Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease.
Use in swimming. It is likely that hGH would have little effect on swimming performance even if used for recovery enhancement. Swimming is a sport that embraces chronic overtraining and even further training could heighten the occurrence of over-use injuries (e.g., swimmer's shoulder). On the basis of verified knowledge, it is incorrect to assert that hGH will provide ergogenic benefits for competitive swimming performances.
The absence of established research in sports does not allow the description of practical symptoms indicating the use of this substance.
Given the minimal benefits and the considerable medical risks, hGH is not a drug worth considering for use in swimming if cheating is seen as an avenue for performance improvement.
Erythropoietin (EPO)
EPO is a naturally occurring hormone produced in the kidney to regulate red blood cell formation. Augmented EPO increases red blood cell production to unnatural levels. The increase improves the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Published reports have claimed improvements in endurance performance of up to 15% in some sporting activities. EPO is produced in natural and synthetic forms and is readily available from veterinary sources where it is used with horses. Depending on how EPO is manufactured, it creates different antibodies. The testing difficulty is logging the signatures of all the different types/origins of EPO. If not all antibodies are assessed, some cheating might be missed. One individual might have a different signature antibody to another depending on who manufactured the synthetic EPO. Unless a test can detect all, and currently only some can be recognized, the test is considered to be unfair.
A second complicating factor is that introduced EPO only lasts in the body for a short time (as little as 24 hours) but its stimulus effect continues for as long as two weeks. Unless a test is conducted when the EPO is present, for example, one day in fourteen among consistent users, accurate testing will miss it. This reduced probability of positive testing makes its use particularly attractive to individuals who participate in dominantly aerobic fatiguing sports.
Medical side effects. EPO commonly "thickens" blood which causes additional circulatory strain as well as damming (clotting) in smaller blood vessels. EPO use is dangerous as it stresses elements in the circulation and quite often is sufficient to precipitate systemic failures that otherwise would function normally under natural levels of stress.
Use in swimming. EPO effects extended performance in events that are largely total body and endurance-dominant (e.g., road cycling, distance and ultra-distance running). It is likely that no benefits will be derived from EPO use because of the short-duration and/or restricted muscular demands of pool-swimming events. Oxygen availability in normal blood is not a factor that limits swimming performance. No improvements would be gained from an oversupply of oxygen.
The absence of established research in sports does not allow the description of practical signs indicating the use of EPO.
Given the doubtful benefits and the great medical risks, EPO is not a drug worth considering for use in swimming if cheating is seen as an avenue for performance improvement.
[
have fun with it floyd and pac fans......
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