Performance Enhancing Substances and Techniques Performance Enhancing Substances and Techniques

 Ergogenic aids are used by some athletes to:  Improve physical appearance  Prevent and/or treat injuries, illnesses, or disease  Cope with stress  Increase athletic potential  Bridge the “genetic gap”  Three types of Ergogenic Aids:  Nutritional aids  Pharmacological aids  Physiological aids © iStockphoto.com/”Max Delson”

 Nutritional supplements include:  Vitamins and minerals  Protein and amino acid supplements  Carnitine  Creatine  Caffeine © iStockphoto.com/”Marie C. Fields”

 Regularly taking megavitamins may cause:  Illness  Tissue damage  Toxic effects to body  Supplements are beneficial when a clear deficiency is indicated  Athletes are advised to increase food intake, resulting in dietary sources of vitamins and minerals © iStockphoto.com/”sbarabu”

 Benefits/risks of protein and amino acid supplements are fraught with conflicting research findings/evidence  Studies report that ingesting excessive amounts of protein can produce toxic effects due to overproduction of urea resulting in:  Dehydration  Muscle cramps  Impairment of thermoregulatory function © iStockphoto.com/”G2 Design Studio”

 Carnitine is advertised as a “fat burner” that claims to:  Decrease lactate production  Increase VO 2 max  Delay fatigue  Spare glycogen  Induce loss of body fat  Enhance aerobic and anaerobic capacity  Experimental data has failed to support these theories © iStockphoto.com/”pixhook”

 Creatine is an oral supplement that claims to increase:  Phosphocreatine storage in muscle  Speed  Power  Strength  Effectiveness of creatine supplement still unclear  More studies need to be conducted on the safety of long- term use © iStockphoto.com/”technotr”

 Evidence suggests caffeine increases performance during prolonged endurance and intense short-term exercises  Increase alertness  Reduces fatigue  Energy drinks contain as much as 80mg of caffeine  Ingesting caffeine can cause:  Dehydration  Nervousness  Irritability © iStockphoto.com/”Limber”

 Pharmacological aids include:  Pain-masking drugs  Anabolic steroids  Prohormones  Human growth hormone  Erythropoietin © iStockphoto.com/”Servifoto”

 Pain-masking agents (narcotic analgesics) include:  Morphine  Heroin  Side effects include:  Inability to detect pain to prevent serious or permanent injury from occurring  Physical and psychological dependence © iStockphoto.com/”Shorrocks”

 Athletes take Anabolic steroids to:  Increase muscle mass  Increase strength  Decrease body fat  Harmful side effects include:  Organ damage (liver, kidney)  Increased cholesterol  Increased blood pressure  Increased aggression © iStockphoto.com/”vuk8691”

 Prohormones are a type of androgenic steroid  Use of prohormones (androstenedione in particular) claim to:  Increase physical power  Decrease body fat  No scientific data to support these theories  Harmful side effects include:  Baldness  Breast enlargement (in males)  aggression and violent behaviour

 Synthetic preparations of the Human growth hormone (HGH) is used to achieve:  Increased muscle mass  Limited weight gain  Improved aerobic endurance  Health risks include:  Heart problems  Excessive growth of hands and feet  Dangerous enlargement of organs (heart, kidneys, liver)

 Erythropoietin (EPO) used by some athletes competing in endurance sports  Shown to cause increase in levels of hemoglobin  Allows more oxygen to be carried to tissues  Higher red-cell count causes heart to work harder  Increases risk of cardiac fatigue and heart failure

 Restricted pharmacological substances include:  Alcohol  Marijuana  Local anaesthetics  Corticosteroids  Beta blockers © iStockphoto.com/”pixhook”

 Alcohol  Causes: ▪Sedative effects ▪Confusion ▪Lessen reaction time © iStockphoto.com/”pixhook”

 Marijuana  Causes:  Affects psychomotor function  Lowers reaction time © iStockphoto.com/”Limber”

 Local Anaesthetics  Causes: ▪Block pain ▪Further injury can result © iStockphoto.com/”mevans”

 Restricted pharmacological substances include:  Corticosteroids: ▪Used to open airways ▪Can be toxic © iStockphoto.com/”pixhook”

 Beta Blockers  Causes: ▪Can cause low blood pressure ▪Disrupts sleep patterns © iStockphoto.com/”shorrocks”

 Physiological methods include:  Blood doping ▪Intravenous administration of blood, red blood cells, and related blood products: ▪Raises the blood’s oxygen carrying capacity ▪Increases cardiac output ▪Decreases lactate levels ▪Improves sweating response  Drug masking ▪Certain drugs are used to reduce the presence of banned substances ▪Includes agents that dilute concentration in: ▪Bloodstream ▪Diuretics

 Drug Testing  Ensures an even playing field  Test are performed randomly  Performed year around © iStockphoto.com/”Christine Glade”

 Ethical Issues  What would you do?  How would your decision impact your family, country, or nation?  How would it impact your future?