Ergogenic Aids in Sports Essay - 1288 Words

Ergogenic Aids in Sports A large problem in sports today is the use of ergogenic aids. An ergogenic aid is any substance or device that increases or enhances energy use, production, or recovery giving the athlete an advantage in competition. Not all ergogenic aids are illegal; many such as dietary supplements, vitamin supplements, or protein supplements are widely used and accepted, however, many are illegal and are banned by many athletic committees(Ahrendt,1). I will be discussing these illegal aids and the affect they have on the athlete and the athletic community. Some of the more commonly used illegal aids include blood doping, caffeine, corticosteroids, diuretics, and human growth hormones (HGH). Blood doping is taking blood†¦show more content†¦The effectiveness of blood doping is unsure, researches don’t know if it truly works. Some reports state that the added RBC and hemoglobin increase the viscosity of the blood, which in turn actually decreases the VO2 max(Goldman,50). The increase in viscosity can lead to an overload of work in the liver and kidney, which could lead to future problems in the liver and kidney (Shipe,77). Another precaution is if the blood that is injected does not come from the person it is being injected into there is a possibility of getting a disease such as AIDS. Blood doping is nearly impossible to discover in tests because the athlete is usually injecting their own blood into their system. The increased hemoglobin and RBC in the body can be accredited to high altitude workouts (working at high altitudes for extended amounts of time can increase hemoglobin and RBC’s). Even though it is near impossible to test for the Olympic Committee still bans its use in hope to find a test. Caffeine is a chemical found in the leaves, seeds, and fruit of over 60 species of plant. It is found in coffee, tea, some soft drinks, and chocolate. It can also be taken as a tablet at high doses in products such as No-Doz or Vivarin (Donahue,33). It is banned as an ergogenic aid in large doses. Caffeine is believed to increase endurance and alertness. AnShow MoreRelatedThe Use of Ergogenic Compounds to Improve Athletic Performance1609 Words   |  7 PagesThe Use of Ergogenic Compounds to Improve Athletic Performance An Ergogenic aid is known as an enhancing quality in sporting performance. Compounds such as bee pollen, caffeine, glycine, carnitine, lecithin, and gelatin are claimed through anecdotal evidence to improve strength or endurance. The use of drugs and other substances has persistedRead MoreThe Athletes Use Nutritional Supplements Essay1648 Words   |  7 Pagesalso known as ergogenic aids, in hopes to better their athletic performance. There is a wide variety of nutritional supplements that people take to see improvements. Some ergogenic aids that are most commonly used are beta-alanine, caffeine, creatine, pyruvate, and many more. The one we will focus on for this paper is creatine. 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