Ergogenic Aids: Framework & Examples

ergogenic aids definition

(any)things that enhance performance

*”ergo”=work

*ex: good night sleep, adequate protein, recent equipment

ergogenic aids categories

-Mechanical (ex: supershoes w/ carbon fiber plates)

-Psychological (ex: music, hypnosis, visualizing/mental imaging; research is difficult bc how know what actually happens in their head?)

-Physiological (ex: altitude exposure train to increase Hb; blood doping)

-Nutritional (consume food; vitamins/minerals; creatine; another ex: beet root juice bc N and microbiota interact and change blood flow)

-Pharmacological (ex: anabolic steroids, EPO)

ergogenic aids regulation: legal or illegal?

Legal <—————> Illegal or Banned

-depends on the context; case-by-case basis

*ex: steroids, caffeine, and contraceptive pill not illegal, but banned in certain sports

ergogenic aids physiological perspective

*make sense that it has any benefits?

-Activity: Endurance vs Power

-Goal: Boost key variable or Delay fatigue

• think in terms of mimicking training adaptations

-Common classes (ex: anabolic, stimulants, painkillers)

-Evaluating an aid

picture of different elite athletes

-all different body types bc different advantages for certain activities

Graph: Performance vs. Training Volume & Intensity (FITT)

-undertaining/poor diet: missing stuff/certain things clearly lacking (Ex: protein, vitamins, etc.; may look like not training hard enough)

-overtraining/inadequate diet: not enough kcals; may still be reaching the RDA’s but might not be enough for what they’re doing; diminished certain activities (ex: repair, immune) and lots of fatigue (undernourished=looks like overtraining)

Goals

1) To get to arrow

2) To get to arrow at the right moment (*this can be hard w/ team sports; easier for running, lifting, etc.)

Dr. P “Food First”

-Eat based on physiological needs

-Breakfast usually needed

*studies: lower obesity, higher exam scores

*Ken: just a marker for people who eat late at night, prob less quality food, when consume foods impacts circadian rhythm, (out=more negative consequences)

*athletes need more kcals, and right off the bat

-Enough calories from diverse diet

-Optimize fuel replacement

-Periodize diet to match training

*alter what eat w/ training

*training + diet + sleep= 95% story

Big Business paired with motivation (from fitness enthusiast to self-hacker to pro athlete)

*money highly involved

-Product sales (e.g. equipment, therapists, biometrics, health/sports food, supplements, drugs)

*expectations change

-Athlete facilitators: trainers, coaches, researchers, institutions

-Athlete contracts

-Sports management

• Endorsements, personal appearances, keynote speeches, motivational speeches, infomercials, trade show appearances, celebrity endorsements, pharmaceutical spokespeople, national spokespeople, clinics, sports events, events, corporate meetings, celebrity satellite media tours, video news releases

-Drug testing apparatus (*spectators pay for ultimately)

*side note: gynecomastia (breast development) from lavender and tea tree oils; hormone disruptor

“Believe to Achieve” bodybuilding video

-”Refuse to be average; sacrifice my soul; anything can be done'“

-pure motivation very powerful; can do anything with thoughts and actions

-still turning food into body, even though using steroids

-negative self talk: central governor in brain unconscious level, but can we override w/ conscious thought? more negative outcomes than w/ positive self talk

*”Enhanced Games”; intense and obsessive

Survey: “desire to win by elite athletes”

-A 1997 SI survey of elite US athletes asked whether they would take an illegal drug that guaranteed an Olympic gold medal.

• >95% would take it if assured of not being caught

• >50% would take it even if they would die from the side effects in 5 years

• 57% of HS students taking steroids would do so even if it shortened their lives if it guaranteed their goal

*lot of people motivated to be at the top

Steroids: prevalence and EXPH role

-If you haven’t seen them, you aren’t looking

-Exercise Physiology’s role in dispelling myths

-Ensuring safety by “teaching” dangers when present, not hype or hysteria (loss of cred)

-Not legal to prescribe, offer, order for or dispense in USA—educate

-Teachable moments

Ergogenic Aids History of Use: ancient greek → 1960’s

-Ancient Greek Olympians ate mushrooms and elaborate potions

-In late 1800s, European cyclists took heroin/cocaine "speedballs," and ether-soaked sugar tablets (*upper and downer at same time; anti-septic, painkiller; civil war amputees)

-Winner of 1904 Olympic marathon took strychnine and brandy during race (*poison that will kill people w/ convulsions, guy thought would help with muscle contractions)

-Winner of 1920 Olympic 100-m dash drank sherry with raw egg before race (*not illegal)

-1960 Olympics, Danish cyclist died in road race with amphetamine in his system

-1967 Tour de France, famed British cyclist died in same condition as Danish cyclist 7 years earlier

-Olympic testing for stimulants began in 1968 (*for any stimulate; bc of recent deaths)

*Side note: study cilasivan decreases depression (one time experience has long term effects), changes brain, FDA okayed research

Ergogenic Aids History of Use: 1950’s → 2003

-Development and proliferation of Dianabol in the late 50’s

-East German female track/swimming of 1970’s - 1980’s

-Widespread steroid use in Eastern Bloc (*Communist countries)

-Extensive yearly positive tests in cycling

• US cycling federation banned blood doping in ‘85

-Chinese female swimmers (early 90’s)

-2000 Sydney Olympics

• 7 Chinese athletes removed from team

• Bulgarian and Romanian weightlifting teams expelled

• USATF relinquished drug testing after being slow to reveal positive tests (*took advantage)

-After the 2003 World Series, MLB anonymously tested with over 100 players testing positive for steroids (*testosterone derivative; collective bargaining)

*1970’s= “steroid era”; stimulants → steroids

*picture shot put example: see increase bc introduce to larger population/people with different genetics

Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO)

-Company analyzed blood and urine from athletes and then prescribes a series of “supplements” to compensate for vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

-Its client list includes athletes Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery and Kelli White, baseball star Barry Bonds and the NFL's Bill Romanowski.

*1980’s supplement company; measures blood and sends personlized supplement

“The Clear”

-Balco founded in 1984, scandal in 2004; Victor Conte was founder and president of BALCO

-US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) says BALCO developed the banned steroid THG (tetrahydrogestrinone). Was undetectable until 2003 when a coach tipped off the USADA

What Blanco really did was add THG to supplements and call it nutritional; Did the athletes know?

-Tetrahydrogestrinone is a banned steroid which had been tweaked by chemists to make it undetectable by normal androgen tests.

-don’t know if athletes knew

*testosterone based on chol; add methyl group to testosterone makes it undetectable

Connections to Blanco Victor Conte

*Kelli White confessed to use of THG, EPO, and modafinil, and was stripped of medals

*athletes and coaches

Biogenesis of America

-Testosterone

-HGH as part of “Anti-aging Clinic”

-Tony Bosch caught due to employee who wasn’t given a raise

*Brian Bran= Brewers player

not hard to fine recent examples of doping….

-Tennis : Jannik Sinner (dermatological steroid from message therapist, went in transderemely) and Simona Halep

-Chicago marathoner; Boston Marathon

-Kenyan athletes: driven more if from resource scare envionrments?

-Allie Ostrander: 4month ban bc of acne medicine that could mask drugs by diluting urine/diuretic (more used for heart failure med and modulating hormones; off the label Rx)

Ergogenic aid categories: advantages?

Mechanical

-Advantage over others short-lived

-Quick access to latest advances

-May be illegal/banned  (e.g. corked bat)

Psycholgoical

-Doesn’t work for everyone

-Quick access if wanted, so no real advantage gained

*hard to test if beneficial or not

Physiological

-ex: blood doping

Nutritional

-if well documented (Ex: creatine), equal advantage

Pharmacological

-ex: anabolic steroids

*Remember: may or may not be legal

generally agreed banned compounds

-Stimulants

-Anabolic agents

-Peptide hormones (*relate to anabolic; ex HGH)

-Narcotics (*painkillers)

-Diuretics and urine manipulating agents (*mask something/doesn’t offer an advantage, but are suspicious if present)

Illegal substances vary by sports & agencies (who decides?)

*each sport own criteria

-NCAA

-USOC

-NFL

-MLB

-USADA: United States Anti-Doping Agency (*major athletics in the US)

-WADA: World Anti-Doping Agency (*between countries)

NFL- 5 page list

-stimulants, anabolic, narcotics

-up to the athlete (so if don’t know if getting it, still subject to a ban)

USADA Mission

USADA is dedicated to

-preserving the well-being of Olympic sport (*brand management)

-the integrity of competition (*no unfair advtangages/even playing field)

-and ensuring the health of athletes 

USADA 4 primary areas of focus

-Research: constantly testing

-Education: tell people what to watch our for, what can take

-Testing: often short-notice

-Results Management: how tell athletes the results; databse

“Clean competition”

-non-profit for anti-doping research around the world, looking to protect the integrity of sports

-took over the research role

-NFL, MLB, USADA, Olympic committee apart bc of brand management

doping general rule of thumb….

-it is ultimately up to the athlete to know if a substance is banned or not, and what is in a supplement
-When in doubt…CALL
-IF WORKING with athletes, DON’T GIVE them anything unless it has been tested!

Flowchart for how to think about supplements and Rx them