What is blood doping?

Once the gunfire signaled the start of the Beijing Olympics competition, the athletes would give each other a fraction of a second. And this is the time when blood doping comes in, especially with endurance sports.

Blood doping is the technique used to increase the amount of human oxygen-carrying red blood cells, thereby increasing the ability of athletes. The most commonly used blood doping type is the erythropoietin injection (EPO) - an injection containing synthetic chemicals that carry oxygen, and a blood transfusion form. All forms of doping use are prohibited under the List of substances and measures banned by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

EPO is naturally produced by the body. This hormone is released by the kidneys and causes the body's bone marrow to produce red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen in human blood, so when the number of red blood cells increases, it can increase the amount of oxygen that the blood transports to the muscles in the body. The end result is increased endurance.

"Blood doping reduces fatigue by increasing the supply of oxygen to working muscles," said Michael Joyner, an anesthesiologist from Mayo Specialist Hospital in Minnesota . It does not increase the maximum force that muscles can produce, but it allows muscles to perform more activities in the longer term. '

When used for legitimate medical purposes, EPO helps treat anemia caused by cancer or kidney disease.

Blood transfusions include withdrawal of one's own blood and storage for several months while the body produces additional red blood cells. Then, before the competition, the athlete will re-inject the blood taken into the body. Results are similar to EPO - increased red blood cells. WADA recently announced an increase in the use of blood transfusion after a new EPO detection method appeared in 2000.

For athletes, this increase means the difference between the gold medal and the silver medal, or whether they have broken the world record.

Joyner said: 'Most people who are interested in blood doping are athletes who run a distance of about 800 meters or more, in addition to long-distance swimmers and cyclists. and both rowing or triathlon athletes. These are sports that often have doping use. '

He added: 'The level of improvement is enough to make a significant difference in an international competition for athletes'.

Italian cyclist Emanuele Sella answered the reporter's question after the trial, outside the anti-party office using the doping Olympic olympic committee, in Rome on Friday August 8, 2008. Sella had Suspended from last Tuesday after getting test results with blood circulation stimulating EPO.(Photo: AP / Gregorio Borgia)

The Danish mountain bike champion Peter Riis Andersen was not allowed to attend the Beijing Olympics after testing before the Olympics, which gave positive results to EPO. The 20-year-old athlete confessed to injecting EPO during a televised press conference.

Difficult test

There are several types of microorganisms created to produce so-called EPO combinations in humans that are quite similar to natural EPO in the body.

Carsten Lundby, a scientist at the Copenhagen Center for Mechanical Research in Denmark, said: 'The difference between recombinant and recombinant EPO in humans (rHuEPO) is not very large .' A new study by Lundby Directed with the participation of 8 men who received rHuEPO injections, then they were tested while cycling on the spot, the results showed that independent tests performed at two different laboratories did not give Reliable results with EPO.

While laboratory A gave positive results to all participants during alternating injections. And laboratory B did not get any positive results for EPO.

3 weeks after the last EPO injection, only 2 of 48 urine samples showed positive results in the laboratory. However, the total number of red blood cells and the ability to undergo the participants' air shortage period increased during that time.

In response to LiveScience, Joyner said: 'What Carsten has demonstrated, what people think is happening is the ability to use low-dose EPO with everyone, but enough to make a difference by one. the undetectable way '.

That is one of the reasons that EPO urine tests done in 2000 face many challenges. Besides, EPO exists very short in the body, only about 2 days.

'Some people can cheat on Monday, but the testers come on Wednesday, 48 hours is enough for EPO to disappear.' But its use remains, and lasts until 90 days later or longer.

'Some of these compounds have a short duration of action in the body, but their biological and positive effects on athletes' performance can last for weeks or even months. '.

In addition, cheating athletes and drug distributors often have to find ways to evade the test network, they seek to get the lowest possible dose but still bring high benefits or they try to find the time. suitable for injecting drugs against the test. 'Fraudsters must join the cat-and-mouse game with the authorities. They always change strategies to find ways to bypass tests'.

Danger from medicine

Blood doping, if using a slip, can bring more compliments, which is a new record and a medal. But serious health consequences also participated in this drama.

Joyner said: 'The fear for using blood or EPO is that the blood platelets rise too high, the blood becomes thicker, making it hard for the heart to push blood throughout the body. High blood levels can also cause a stroke or blood clots. '

Another fear is the suspicion that fraudsters, especially those arrested, put on their entire sports and country.

'If someone is too good,' they must be cheating 'because there have been such cases when athletes cheated. Therefore any unusual expression, any breakthrough expression, or any record leads to the question: 'Is this truth or doping contributing to success at what? ' And we can't know the answer '.