5 Substances That Enhance Sports Performance That Are Not 'Bombs'

The list of athletes accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs is long. And it is not only in weightlifting or in fights that the use of illegal substances happens. In football, athletics, swimming, cycling, artistic gymnastics, basketball and many other sports, both professional and amateur, the same is true.

To ensure more energy, strength, endurance, or even to reduce weight for competitions, many athletes risk their careers by using these drugs, which are not classified as steroids, but are already on the sports committee banned list and are subject to doping. Check out five of these drugs below.

1 - Erythropoietin

The use of erythropoietin, or EPO, causes the production of red blood cells to rise without the need for transfusions. The kidneys naturally produce the hormone, but it was synthetically produced in 1985 by the biotechnology company Amgen, primarily for the treatment of kidney patients.

In the 1990s, however, cyclists and other endurance athletes found that they could train more intensely if they took the drug regularly. However, drug use offers some significant risks.

Studies have shown that it increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and pulmonary edema. One theory suggests that the drug thickens the blood to the point that fatal clots form. Such complications may have contributed to the deaths of at least 20 cyclists in the 2000s, increasing the urgency of developing a reliable test to detect EPO.

2 - Growth hormone

Like EPO, human growth hormone (hGH) is naturally produced in the body. The pituitary gland - which is the size of a pea at the base of the brain - produces hGH to stimulate development in children and adolescents, as well as to increase muscle mass in adults.

In 1985, the hormone was synthetically produced when the FDA approved its use to treat a number of diseases that slow growth or cause muscle degeneration. From that time, the drug has started to attract the attention of athletes.

They thought it could mimic the same muscle-building effects caused by anabolic steroids. The 1996 Olympics were called "hGH Games" because of the overuse of the substance among competitors.

Today, athletes get hGH from a variety of sources: prescription for other purposes, online pharmacies, illegal drug-selling sites, and clinics that use the hormone to reverse the effects of aging. There is even a black market that collects hGH from human corpses.

This is a risky gamble, especially given the lack of proven scientific evidence that hGH really boosts athletic performance. In addition, side effects also exist, including joint pain, muscle weakness, fluid retention, cardiomyopathy and hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol).

3 - Bromantan

Like hGH, bromantan was another drug widely used by athletes at the 1996 Olympics. The substance is a kind of combined stimulant and masking agent.

Several Russians had positive tests for the drug, which was not, at the time, included on the International Olympic Committee's list of banned substances. This did not prevent the IOC from disqualifying several Russian athletes by taking them medals. And what are the effects of this drug?

Before, we have a little story to tell. Russian army doctors developed bromantan as a stimulant, something that could make soldiers and cosmonauts more alert by fighting fatigue. This reached the ears of Russian athletes, who wanted to try the substance and then reported that it helped them perform intense workouts without leaving them exhausted.

However, some anti-doping authorities believe bromantan can hide the abuse of more serious drugs, such as steroids. This is known as masking, being just one more way athletes can find to fool the medical competition committee.

4 - Ephedrine

Athletes use stimulants to improve endurance, reduce fatigue and increase aggressiveness. In addition, those trying to qualify for some weight-based category, such as fights, resort to stimulants for their ability to suppress their appetites. In the latter case, what comes to mind is amphetamines, which usually require a prescription.

However, not all stimulants require a doctor's signature. This is the case with ephedrine, which is available as a component of many dietary supplements because it speeds up metabolism, burning fat with its thermogenic effect.

Formerly used as a decongestant, antispasmodic and other medical purposes, ephedrine has been banned in some countries, such as Brazil and the United States, because it causes heavy dependence. Athletes get the substance on the black market for an extra boost of energy, even though the drug can cause high blood pressure, dizziness, breathlessness, and cardiac arrhythmia.

5 - Diuretics

Diuretics have long been used by athletes as a way of masking steroid use. A diuretic is any drug that affects kidney function, resulting in increased urine output.

Chlorthalidone, for example, prevents liquids and salts from being reabsorbed in the renal tubules and returning to the blood. As a result, more water leaves the body without leaving many traces of steroids. Acetazolamide works by blocking the absorption of sodium bicarbonate in the renal tubules.

In patients with certain conditions, such as heart disease, diuretics may help control high blood pressure and fluid retention. But athletes taking anabolic steroids use diuretics to dilute their urine to lower their concentration, making it much harder to detect.

Weightlifters and wrestlers use diuretics to expel large amounts of fluid, which qualifies them to compete in a lower weight category. Then, just before the competition, they stop taking the pills to get back to their heavier combat weight, giving them an edge against their opponents.

However, many diuretics are also on the banned list, and even if not caught for steroids, athletes can be punished for using diuretic drugs. Side effects are dehydration, dizziness and pressure drops.