Now, how does blood doping really work? I will explain to you more.
What is blood doping?
The term "blood doping" refers to the practice of increasing the number of red blood cells (RBCs) in one's circulatory system, either by receiving a blood transfusion or by taking erythropoietin ("epo" for short), a hormone that promotes RBC production. Since RBCs carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, adding more of them to one's circulation should enhance the delivery of oxygen to one's muscles. Improved oxygen delivery, in turn, might help the muscles perform better.Medical Uses of Blood Doping
Artificial Oxygen carriers are the only form of blood doping which have a medical use. They were developed for use in emergencies when there is no time for determining and cross-matching a patients blood-type for transfusion, when there is a high risk of infection, or simply when no blood is available.
Effects on PerformanceBlood doping is most commonly used by endurance athletes, such as distance runners, skiers and cyclists. By increasing the number of red blood cells within the blood (and so increasing the haematocrit), higher volumes of the protein haemoglobin are present. Haemoglobin binds to and carries oxygen from the lungs, to the muscles where it can be used for aerobic respiration. Blood doping therefore allows extra Oxygen to be transported to the working muscles, resulting in a higher level of performance, without the use of the anaerobic energy systems. Studies have shown that blood doping can improve the performance of endurance athletes.
Negative Effects
- Increased blood viscosity (thickness)
- Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
- Pulmonary embolism (a blockage, which can be fat, air or a blood clot, of the pulmonary artery)
- Cerebral embolism (a blockage, formed elsewhere in the body, which becomes lodged in an artery within or leading to the brain)
- Cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
- Infections
Homologous transfusions are prone to further side-effects:
- Allergic reaction
- Risk of blood-borne diseases (hepatitis C, B and HIV)
To sum it up, here are some of the examples of athletes doping:
Sources:
http://www.teachpe.com/drugs/doping.php
http://www.kidzworld.com/article/1832-blood-doping-in-sports-athletes-cheating#
http://faculty.washington.edu/crowther/Misc/RBC/altitude.shtml
Google Images
Reflections:
I feel that doping in Sports is definitely wrong, as it is morally wrong. The use of performance-enhancing drugs to improve our performance in sports would definitely increase our competency in that Sport, and we would emerge victorious. Although we have indeed earned a gold medal, is it really worth it? Our conscience would be bugged and we might feel guilty for the rest of the life. Furthermore, if we are caught doping, we would have to face the law and accept our punishment bravely. Doping is definitely not worth the try as we would be depriving ourselves of the chance to achieve victory. It has absolutely no harm on our competitors, since the once who would be disqualified would ultimately be us. Imagine that you have been training for 10 years for an event, and just because of a moment's folly, you took the wrong step and actually started taking drugs to enhance your performance. This is not beneficial to us and if we are caught, we would certainly be disqualified and ban from the sport. Thus, it is not worthwhile to cheat in the games. Although many already know the harsh consequences that they would face if they were to be caught doping in the games, many still decide to cheat. Imagine one day Yohan Blake, decides to dope to beat Usain Bolt in the 100m sprint event. Although Yohan Blake would be able to taste a moment of triumphant, he would eventually have to suffer many more years of regret. Thus, doping in the games is definitely not worthwhile.
Also, blood doping would definitely have negative effects on our health. We might develop infections and other allergic reactions. We might even suffer from a stroke or a heart attack as a result of the drugs that we take. Thus, this would have a negative impact on the athlete in the long run and he may develop serious health problems in the future. Since blood doping would have a negative impact on our health, it is definitely not worth it to cheat in the games just to win a medal.
In conclusion, I feel that harsher punishments should be imposed on athletes if they were to be caught doping in the Games to prevent many others to make the same mistake again.
