Effects of Performance Enhancing Drugs - Essay Sample

Introduction

Performance enhancing drugs have effects on the users, and it is essential to learn the benefits, the health risks of these drugs (Devcic et al., 2018). Some of the common drugs include stimulants, anabolic steroids, androstenedione, and diuretics, among others. However, during different eras athletes used different drugs and this posed various challenges to the bodies that monitored doping. In the sixties, amphetamines were commonly used, while anaerobic steroids and cortisone were common in the eighties. In the nineties, however, most athletes used human growth hormones and Erythropoietin hormone. Most recently, the use of peptides has become prevalent in the world of sports (Mudrak, Slepicka & Slepickova, 2018). These drugs are commonly used by athletes to enhance their performance. Some rules govern different sports to ensure that these games are fair and equally competitive. The research question seeks to establish the relationship between the usage of performance-enhancing drugs and the performance in athletes.

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Prevalence of Doping

World Anti-Doping Agency has put strict measures a doping-free sport (Mudrak, Slepicka & Slepickova, 2018). Survey and testing of athletes have been used to test the prevalence of doping among athletes. The issue has been highlighted by various bodies to reduce these cases. However, according to WADA out of 269,878 samples they tested in 2013, 2.21% tested positive. 63% were attributed to anabolic agents, while 10.01% were due to stimulants, 7.5% diuretics, 6.3% were glucosteroids, 3.8% peptides cases and growth hormones and lastly cannabinoids were about 3.6% (Vincent, 2018). Among the field athletes common cases of doping involves testing positive for any substances that increase the red blood cells mass.

Doping Cases

Doping cases have been reported in the past and athletes were stripped of their wins after they were found to have used these drugs. Canada's Ben Johnson was one of the best short distance runners, and during his time he won two bronze medals and a gold medal (Vincent, 2018). However, he was stripped off the gold medal he had won in 1988 Seoul Olympics. This happened after he tested positive for stanozolol an anabolic steroid which is used by athletes to gain power and strength. In other cases, Lance Amstrong is a former Australian cyclist who won the Tour de France for seven consecutive times. He emerged victorious between the years 1999-2005, and he was stripped off these titles in 2013 (Vincent, 2018). He also admitted in an interview that he was using banned drugs. Marion Jones was stripped all the five medals he had won in Sydney Olympics after it was discovered she was using performance-enhancing drugs and she even admitted it in 2007. Alberto Contador was a Spanish road cyclist and the winner of the Tour De France in the years 2009 and 2007. However, he was stripped his titles in 2010 after traces of clenbuterol were found in his urine samples. His brilliant performances were attributed to the presence of this drug in his blood which gave him a competitive edge over the other competitors. Dwain Chambers, a British sprinter tested positive for tetrahydrogestrinone, and he was banned from any competitions for two years. The Russian Tennis star Maria Sharapova was banned for two years during the Australian Open after testing positive for meldonium. In some cases, doping cases reported are accidental, and the users are not aware of the effects of using these substances. Moreover, some of the legal drugs have been banned in recent years, and the athletes have been banned even when trace amounts in their samples.

In 2016, during the Rio Olympics, there were a lot of discussions in regards to the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs especially their effects on professional athletes (Collins, 2017). During these competitions about one hundred Russian were banned from the game. Testosterone plays a crucial role in enabling athletes to improve their performance, and this is why athletes use testosterone supplements. It increases the strength of the muscles and also increases the mass of the muscles as well. According to a study conducted, administering six hundred milligrams of testosterone daily was observed to contribute to an increase in the muscles strength especially for the athletes who would exercise frequently. Caster Semenya, the 800m Olympics gold medalist, produces higher testosterone naturally, and this gives her more competitive compared to her contestants (Bird et al., 2016). This has been considered unfair to the other contestants with slightly lower levels of testosterone. However, this is natural, and it has been tough to come up with a solution for this case.

Erythropoietin hormone increases the performance of an athlete when used in the ranges 40-50% (Bird et al., 2016). The growth hormones increase human growth by increasing the mass of the muscles. According to a study, conducted on random recreational athletes, male the athletes were given two milligrams a day and 250 milligrams of testosterone weekly (Bird et al., 2016). Female athletes, on the other hand, were given two milligrams of growth hormones daily. In these two cases, the two were observed to increase their body mass and improved their sprinting ability. Therefore, the two drugs give the athletes an advantage compared to other athletes.

Athletes could also use stimulants to improve their performance, and this is very crucial. Some of these stimulants include caffeine, cocaine, pemoline among others. These play a vital role in increasing the endurance, reduce weight giving them a competitive advantage over their competitors. The number of athletes using stimulants has risen in recent years, and this has raised the alarm on the matter. In 2009, a hundred and six major league baseball players in the USA tested positive for stimulants (Bird et al., 2016). However, the number had increased from the previous number where only twenty-eight players had tested positive.

Diuretics can be used as doping agents and the affect the normal human body functioning. They help the athletes to lose weight, and this gives them an advantage in games like boxing. Other athletes use Bupropion which antidepressant properties. According to a study conducted, it allows an athlete to exercise and as their temperature rises their hearts do not struggle to cope with the oxygen demand in the body. Moreover, athletes use different methods to increase blood transportations in the body. These methods include blood transfusion, and this makes them more efficient, and they can tolerate more physical exercises. Moreover, it increases their aerobic power, and it is easier for them to withstand more physical practices without experiencing oxygen deficiencies.

Conclusion

Doping cases are prevalent across different sports, and this has led to the establishment of strict measures to curb this unethical practice. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of cases reported, and this has led to the banning of some of these sports personalities. These drugs alter with the normal functioning of the body ad it gives them an added advantage compared to their competitors. Consequently, doping cases are taken seriously and those found guilty have been punished for sending a message to every sports person who considers such unethical behavior.

References

Bird, S. R., Goebel, C., Burke, L. M., & Greaves, R. F. (2016). Doping in sport and exercise: anabolic, ergogenic, health and clinical issues. Annals of clinical biochemistry, 53(2), 196-221. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0004563215609952

Collins, R. W. (2017). Lowering Restrictions on Performance Enhancing Drugs in Elite Sports. Inquiries Journal, 9(03). Retrieved from http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1590/lowering-restrictions-on-performance-enhancing-

Devcic, S., Bednarik, J., Maric, D., Versic, S., Sekulic, D., Kutlesa, Z., ... & Liposek, S. (2018). Identification of Factors Associated with Potential Doping Behavior in Sports: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in High-Level Competitive Swimmers. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(8), 1720. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/8/1720/pdf

Mudrak, J., Slepicka, P., & Slepickova, I. (2018). Sport motivation and doping in adolescent athletes. PLoS one, 13(10), e0205222. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.00232/full

Vincent Geeraets (2018). Ideology, Doping and the Spirit of Sport, Sport, Ethics and Philosophy. 12:3, 255-271/. Retrieved from DOI: 10.1080/17511321.2017.1351483https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17511321.2017.1351483