Performance Enhancement Drugs: EPO
According to WebMD (n.a.), erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone
that is produced by the kidneys which helps to regulate the production of red
blood cells (WebMD). In athletics, this hormone is injected in order to
increase blood hemoglobin which in theory increases the athletes VO2 max
(Hardman, Brouwer, Connes, Kuipers, Baskurt 2014). With an increased VO2 Max
the athlete is able to, theoretically, increase stamina and enhance their
performance in long distance events (WebMD).
EPO is having also been used by clinical physicians in order
to increase the number of red blood cells in breast cancer patients undergoing
chemotherapy (Dimyati, Yusuf, Benny, Maman, Ahmad 2015). According to research,
twenty- five percent of cancer patients who received 21 days of chemotherapy
developed anemia (Dimyati, Yusuf, Benny, Maman, Ahmad 2015). Anemia is a
condition in which the patient develops a lower count of red blood cells (Dimyati,
Yusuf, Benny, Maman, Ahmad 2015). Anemia in cancer patients can be caused by
cancer itself, blood loss from surgery or chemotherapy (Dimyati, Yusuf, Benny,
Maman, Ahmad 2015) . EPO is used in order to increase the production of
hemoglobin in the infected patient (Dimyati, Yusuf, Benny, Maman, Ahmad 2015).
However, EPO should not be used in healthy individuals. The
use of EPO in healthy individuals may cause cardiovascular disease such as
hypertension and heart failure (Hardman, Brouwer, Connes, Kuipers, Baskurt
2014). This is due to the increased viscosity of the blood which is a result of
increasing the number of red blood cells which is a side effect of EPO usage
(Hardman, Brouwer, Connes, Kuipers, Baskurt 2014).
In theory, EPO can help improve overall performance in
endurance athletes. However, the dangers of EPO use outweigh the positive
effects making it dangerous for usage of healthy athletes. EPO can be safely
used in a clinical setting to help correct anemia, kidney disease and treat
patients with HIV (Dimyati, Yusuf, Benny, Maman, Ahmad 2015). There is not
enough evidence to prove that the use of EPO can indeed improve overall
performance in endurance athletes.
Reference
Dimyati, A.,
Yusuf, H., Benny, I., Maman, A., & Ahmad, F. (2015). STRATEGY FOR THE USE
OF ERYTHROPOETIN ALPHA TO MAINTAIN
HEMOGLOBIN LEVEL IN BREAST CANCER PATIENT TREATED WITH ANTHRACYCLINE-BASE OF
ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY. International Journal Of Integrated Health
Sciences, Vol 1, Iss 1, Pp 8-12 (2015), (1), 8. doi:10.15850/ijihs.v1n1.102
Hardeman, M.,
Alexy, T., Brouwer, B., Connes, P., Jung, F., Kuipers, H., & Baskurt, O. K.
(2014). EPO or PlacEPO? Science versus Practical ExperiencePanel discussion on
efficacy of erythropoetin in improving performance. Biorheology, 51(2),
83. doi:10.3233/BIR-140655
WADA (n.a.) PEPTIDE
HORMONES, GROWTH FACTORS, RELATED SUBSTANCES AND MIMETICS. PROHIBITED AT ALL
TIMES. https://www.wada-ama.org/en/prohibited-list/prohibited-at-all-times/peptide-hormones-growth-factors-related-substances-and-mimetics
WebMD (n.a.)
Blood Doping. Fitness and Exercise. http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/blood-doping#1
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