How does doping work

According to Associate Professor Nikolai Nordsborg from the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports , and Principal investigator of the study, the findings should thus serve as a warning for athletes considering blood doping with small amounts in the future:.

But we must recognize that there are more sophisticated methods that do not result in substantial fluctuations in blood values, and which could perhaps be performance-enhancing. One of these is blood doping with a small amount of blood. It is important to know if performance and health is affected by these strategies. Now that we know this strategy can improve performance significantly, we must prioritise the development of new methods that can detect the abuse. This can be done by withdrawing one half to one litre of blood three to five weeks before a race.

The withdrawn blood will be centrifuged, after which the red blood cells are collected and stored in a refrigerator. An athlete uses his or her own blood, can put themselves at significant health risks if the procedure is not done properly or if the blood is not handled or stored in a proper manner.

In addition, unnaturally high red blood cell levels increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary or cerebral embolism. Skip to main content. What is blood doping? What are the most widely known types of blood doping? What is EPO? What are the side-effects of EPO misuse? When was a test to detect EPO implemented? This variable is calculated from the haemoglobin a protein responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood concentration, the reticulocyte immature blood cells percentage and an abnormal profile score.

If a suspicious or abnormal profile is determined with this calculation, the data is forwarded to a panel of doping experts who review it to determine if a doping infraction has actually occurred. If the panel deems that it has, WADA initiates a suspension process. One way athletes appear to be circumventing the biological passports model is by small, frequent use of EPO.

In , Australian researchers found frequent micro-dosing allows athletes to use rhEPO without abnormal changes in the blood variables that are currently monitored by the athlete blood passport. As the fight against doping continues, athletes appear to be continually searching for ways to elevate their performance and evade detection.

The biological passport offers a great tool for limiting the practice of doping, but it seems that many athletes have already found ways to circumvent it. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent.

You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Necessary Necessary. This is an necessary category. Advertisement advertisement.