Transcript Slide 1

Ergogenic Aids and Sport

CHAPTER 16

Overview

Researching ergogenic aids

Pharmacological agents

Hormonal agents

Physiological agents

Nutritional agents

Ergogenic Aids Introduction

Ergogenic (“work producing”) versus ergolytic (“work breaking”) substances

Potential aids

– Pharmacological agents – Hormones – Physiological agents – Nutritional agents

Table 16.1

Table 16.1

(continued)

Researching Ergogenic Aids

Must be proven to enhance performance

– Claim alone insufficient – True ergogenic versus pseudoergogenic responses •

Placebo effect

– Placebo: inactive substance that looks like the real thing – Expectations affect physiological response – Double-blind experimental design

Figure 16.1

Researching Ergogenic Aids

Scientific results may not provide clear answers to ergogenic questions

May

be able to prove ergogenic action – Results often equivocal •

Factors that can limit research

– Technique, equipment inaccuracy – Research methodology – Testing situations (lab vs. field)

World Antidoping Code: Criteria for Prohibited Substance 1. Substance or practice has the potential to enhance sport performance 2. Substance or practice has the potential to harm the athlete 3. Substance or practice violates the spirit of sport

Pharmacological Agents

Must know all drugs taken by the athlete

– Therapeutic use exemption in advance for certain medical circumstances – Otherwise athletes may forfeit medals, prizes, awards •

Check drugs versus banned substances list

Examples: sympathomimetic amines,

b

blockers, caffeine, diuretics, recreationally used drugs

Pharmacological Agents: Sympathomimetics

Sympathomimetic amines

– Amphetamines (also ephedrine, pseudoephedrine) – Medical and ergogenic applications •

Proposed benefits of amphetamines

– Weight loss – Heighten concentration and focus – Make athletes more competitive, induce sense of being indestructible and euphoria – Enhance performance, delay fatigue

Pharmacological Agents: Sympathomimetics

• •

Proven effects of amphetamines

–  State of arousal, energy, self-confidence –  Fatigue –  HR, blood pressure, blood flow, blood glucose, FFAs

Enhance performance by

–  Weight loss – Improving reaction time, speed, and focus –  Strength, power –  Max HR, peak lactate

Pharmacological Agents: Sympathomimetics

Risks of amphetamines, ephedrine

– Death, toxicity – Heatstroke, cardiac stress – Addiction (psychological, physiological) – Masking of physiological danger signals •

Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine lack benefits but still carry significant risks

Pharmacological Agents:

b

-blockers •

b

-blockers reduce sympathetic effects

– Used to treat cardiovascular disease – Also for migraines, anxiety, stage fright •

Proposed benefits of

b

-blockers

– Decrease performance anxiety – Enhance physical steadiness

Pharmacological Agents:

b

-blockers

Proven effects of

b

-blockers

–  Resting, submaximal, and maximal HR –  Hand stability •

Risks of

b

-blockers

– Bronchospasm in asthmatics – Cardiac failure, low blood pressure/dizziness – Hypoglycemia (type II diabetics) – Fatigue, impaired performance

Pharmacological Agents: Caffeine

Caffeine

– Central nervous system stimulant – Sympathomimetic effects (but weaker) •

Proposed benefits of caffeine

–  Mental alertness, feel more competitive – More energy, reduced or delayed fatigue – Enhanced mobilization of FFAs – Glycogen sparing

Pharmacological Agents: Caffeine

Proven effects of caffeine

–  Alertness, concentration, and mood –  Fatigue and reaction time (faster response) –  Fat metabolism –  All types of performance •

Risks of caffeine

– Nervousness, tremors, insomnia – Headache – GI problems

Pharmacological Agents: Diuretics

Diuretic clinical uses

– Increase urine production to reduce body water – Control hypertension, edema •

Proposed benefits of diuretics

– Weight control – Dilute other banned substances in urine samples

Pharmacological Agents: Diuretics

• •

Proven effects of diuretics

– Significant temporary weight loss – Resulting dehydration is ergolytic –  Plasma volume   Q max   VO 2max

Risks of diuretics

– Impaired thermoregulation – Electrolyte imbalance (including hyponatremia) – Death

Pharmacological Agents: Recreational Drugs

Alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, nicotine

No ergogenic effects

Many ergolytic effects

Alcohol + caffeine = ergolytic effects

Hormonal Agents: Anabolic Steroids

Anabolic steroid use

– Androgenic: similar to male sex hormones – Enhances anabolic function (builds bone, muscle) – Athletes have become good at avoiding detection •

Proposed benefits of anabolic steroids

– Increased fat-free mass (FFM), strength – Reduced fat mass – Facilitate recovery after exhaustive exercise

Hormonal Agents: Anabolic Steroids

Proven effects on muscle mass, strength

–  body mass, FFM –  Fat mass –  Total body potassium and nitrogen (FFM markers) –  Muscle size, strength •

Dose threshold for anabolic effects

– Small doses ineffective – Large, chronic doses very effective

Figure 16.2

Figure 16.3

Hormonal Agents: Anabolic Steroids

High-dose testosterone

 –  FFM –  Triceps and quadriceps area

same effects

–  Strength •

Muscle mass increase is dose dependent

–  Type I and type II cross-sectional area –  Number of muscle fiber nuclei

Figure 16.4

Hormonal Agents: Anabolic Steroids

Proven effects on cardiorespiratory endurance

–  Red blood cell production and total blood volume – No effect on VO 2max •

Proven effects on recovery from training

–  muscle fiber damage after exhaustive lifting –  Rate of protein synthesis during recovery (rats)

Hormonal Agents: Anabolic Steroids

Issues with anabolic steroid use

– Moral and ethical concerns – Fair competition (basis for World Anti-Doping Code) •

Sexual risks

– Men: early growth stoppage, supression of normal hormones (testicular abnormalities), excess estrogen (breast enlargement) – Women: disrupted menstruation/ovulation, development of masculine sex characteristics

Hormonal Agents: Anabolic Steroids

Cancer risks: prostate, liver

Cardiovascular risks

– Cardiac hypertrophy, cardiomyopathy, heart attack – Thrombosis, arrhythmia, hypertension –  HDL,  LDL

Hormonal Agents: Anabolic Steroids

Emotional and psychological risks

–  Aggression (“roid rage”) –  Violence – Potential drug dependence •

Other risks

– Contracting hepatitis, HIV/AIDS –  Life span (mice) –  Incidence of birth defects – Long-term effects of abuse unknown

Hormonal Agents: Andro, DHEA

Baseball steroids scandal

– Androstenedione (Mark McGwire) purported to enhance testosterone production – DHEA may enhance androstenedione, testosterone •

Studies generally show andro and DHEA ineffective

– No significant strength gains – Possible increase in estrogen – Banned anabolic steroids more effective, popular

Hormonal Agents: Human Growth Hormone

Human growth hormone (hGH)

Six proposed benefits of hGH use

– Stimulates protein, nucleic acid synthesis – Stimulates bone growth (young athletes) – Stimulates IGF-1 synthesis –  FFA mobilization,  fat mass –  Blood glucose levels – Enhances healing after injury

Hormonal Agents: Human Growth Hormone

Proven effects of hGH use

–  Fat mass – Young athletes: no anabolic effects – Older men:  FFM,  bone density •

Risks of hGH use

– Acromegaly – Cardiomyopathy, hypertension – Glucose intolerance/diabetes

Physiological Agents

Using any substance that occurs naturally in body to improve performance

Five major physiological agents

– Blood doping – Erythropoietin (EPO) – O 2 supplementation – Bicarbonate loading – Phosphate loading

Physiological Agents: Blood Doping

• • •

Blood doping

– Any means by which red blood cell count increases – Often through transfusion of previously donated red blood cells

Proposed benefits of blood doping

– Enhanced oxygen-carrying capacity – Improved aerobic endurance and performance

Proven effects of blood doping

–  VO 2max (long term) –  Aerobic endurance (short term)

Figure 16.5

Physiological Agents: Blood Doping

Maximizing benefits of blood doping

– Must reinfuse 900+ ml whole blood – Must wait 5 to 6 weeks before reinfusion – Must freeze (not refrigerate) stored blood •

Blood doping and endurance performance

– Enhances aerobic performance – Benefit more evident in second half of race

Figure 16.6

Physiological Agents: Blood Doping

Risks of blood doping

– Blood becomes too viscous – Excessive clotting, heart failure – Some sports set hematocrit limits for competition – Blood matching complications – Exposure to bloodborne diseases •

Potential medical risks far outweigh benefits

Physiological Agents: EPO

EPO slightly different from blood doping

– Natural kidney hormone – Stimulates red blood cell production •

Proposed benefits of EPO

– Increased hematocrit – Increased oxygen-carrying capacity •

Proven effects of EPO

–  Hemoglobin, hematocrit, and VO 2max –  Time to exhaustion

Physiological Agents: EPO

Risks of EPO use

– Dangerous increase in blood viscosity – Blood clots, heart attack, heart failure, stroke – Pulmonary embolism, hypertension •

Effects of EPO less predictable than those of red blood cell reinfusion

Physiological Agents: O 2 Supplementation

Proposed benefits of O 2 supplementation

– Increase dissolved oxygen in blood – Delay fatigue, speed recovery •

Proven effects of O 2 supplementation

– Preexercise treatment  little or no effect – During exercise   efficiency,  work, work rate, metabolic peak blood lactate levels – After exercise  no effect

Physiological Agents: O 2 Supplementation

Risks of O 2 supplementation

– No known risks – Safety needs further research – Oxygen equipment potentially dangerous •

Overall, simply not practical

Physiological Agents: Bicarbonate Loading

Proposed benefits of bicarbonate loading

– Increased blood pH and buffering capacity – Delayed onset of anaerobic fatigue •

Proven effects of bicarbonate loading

– 300 mg/kg   all-out performance for 1 to 7 min – Enhanced H + removal from muscle fibers •

Risks of bicarbonate loading

– GI discomfort (bloating, cramping) – Sodium citrate  similar results without risks

Figure 16.7

Physiological Agents: Phosphate Loading

Proposed benefits of phosphate loading

– Enhanced PCr resynthesis – Enhanced oxidative phosphorylation – Greater O 2 unloading at muscle •

Proven effects of phosphate loading

– Findings equivocal – Some studies no effects, others  to exhaustion V̇O 2max and time •

No known risks of phosphate loading

Nutritional Agents: Amino Acids

L-tryptophan

– Proposed effects: analgesic, delays fatigue – Proven effects: no improvement •

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)

– Proposed effects: delay fatigue – Study showed no effect from  or  BCAAs •

HMB (leucine metabolite)

– Some evidence may  FFM, strength but unclear – Decreases cholesterol, LDL, blood pressure

Figure 16.8

Nutritional Agents: L-Carnitine

Proposed benefits of L-carnitine

– Enhanced fatty acid oxidation – Glycogen sparing •

Proven effects of L-carnitine

– Conflicting results – Most findings negative

Nutritional Agents: Creatine

Creatine

– Widespread use (recreational to professional) – Target: skeletal muscle •

Proposed benefits of creatine

– Increased muscle PCr content – Enhanced peak power production – Serves as buffer, helps regulate pH balance – Enhanced oxidative metabolic pathways

Nutritional Agents: Creatine

ACSM conclusions regarding creatine

– Enhances high-power-output activity – Maximal strength not affected – With resistance training  strength gains – Results do not live up to expectations •

Creatine + exercise =

FFM, strength

May not improve performance

Nutritional Agents: Contamination of Supplements

Supplement marketing and labeling not overseen by FDA

Purity of supplements and accuracy of supplement labels suspect

Contamination with banned substances can lead to disqualification, forfeit of medals