Medical Uses
Can you get EPO without a prescription?
No it is illegal to possess EPO with a prescription from a doctor.
Lance Armstrong won his first Tour de France after recovering from what disease.
Testicular cancer
What energy system does EPO help?
The oxidative system.
What cell does EPO increase production in the body?
Red blood cell
More viscose, thicker.
EPO is naturally produced in what organ?
The kidneys.
How many Tour de Frances did Lance Armstrong win?
Seven
What type of sports benefit from EPO use and why? Name at least 3 different sports.
Because it aids the oxidative energy system, it helps sports where endurance is required. Examples are cycling, running, rowing, speed skating, triathlon and cross country skiing.
What molecule carries oxygen throughout the blood and why does EPO help transmit oxygen throughout the body?
Hemoglobin which contains iron carries oxygen to muscle cells throughout the body. EPO increases red blood cell count which increases hemoglobin allowing for more oxygen to travel to the muscles.
This drug when used improperly can have what negative side effects what are they?
Heart disease, stroke, cerebral, or pulmonary disease are common side effects for EPO use.
Name some conditions that EPO can help treat?
Anemia, or a lack of blood cells which can be caused by cancer or various diseases. Typically diagnosed from pale skin, lack of energy, and light headedness.
List some famous athletes who have used EPO and their sports.
Lance Armstrong cycling, TJ Dillahsaw MMA, Marco Pantani cycling, Floyd Landis cycling, Rashid Ramizi 1500m run
What limiting factor of the oxidative system does EPO increase, and what are possible draw backs of this drug?
The limiting factor of the oxidative system is the ability bring oxygen to muscles cells and remove carbon dioxide byproduct from the blood stream. This can increase VO2 max found in athletes who use this drug. The drawbacks are that it makes athletes blood thicker. This could make pumping blood more difficult due to the increased viscosity resulting in slower circulation of blood.
Why do some of the negative side effects tied to EPO happen?
When EPO is used, it artificially increases red blood cell count which directly increases the viscosity of ones blood. This can be both beneficial; however, it can be detrimental causing strokes or heart problems because the increased viscosity makes pumping blood more difficult. Oftentimes clogging arteries.
What does EPO classify as? What does WADA say about EPO, and category does EPO fall under in WADA?
EPO is classified as a glycoprotein hormone. It is found on the WADA prohibited drug list and is prohibited at all times not just during competition. The specific category it if found under is "EPTIDE HORMONES, GROWTH FACTORS, RELATED SUBSTANCES AND MIMETICS".
What year did Lance Armstrong get caught for doping, what year did he admit to doping, and what was his penalty for said doping?
He got caught by USADA in 2012 which launched an investigation against him for possession of illegal substances. He admitted to doping in 2013, and his punishment for said doping was a lifetime ban from cycling and stripping him of all titles he had previously won.
Explain how EPO improves the oxidative system
When EPO is injected into the blood stream, it is a hormone that stimulates production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. The increased number of red blood cells aid athletes because it increases the amount of oxygen delivered to muscles and the amount of carbon dioxide that can be removed from the blood stream. This directly increases VO2 max directly improving endurance allowing for more ATP to be produced in a shorter time frame.
After stopping use of EPO does EPO leave long term effects on athlete's?
No, EPO, unlike steroid or testosterone, does not leave long term effects after stopping treatment or doping. The kidneys usually return to normal function producing normal levels of EPO and athletic performance dips to before doping.
How does EPO work and why can it be used to treat the conditions it does?
EPO is a hormone typically produced in the kidneys, however, the PED is injected into the blood stream and it stimulates the growth of red blood cells. The bone marrow receives the signal sent by the hormone and begins production of red blood cells. This directly counteracts certain conditions like anemia, which is a lack of blood cells typically caused by chemotherapy. Ultimately EPO treats anemia by counteracting the lack of red blood cells by making more.
Why might EPO be an attractive drug to use for athletes looking to enhance performance? List 3 reasons and explain why
EPO is an attractive drug for athletes looking to dope because:
1. It has a short half-life. EPO has a half life in the blood stream of 4-8 hours. This makes it very easy to mask doping and hide irregular presence of EPO. Lance Armstrong famously evaded detection during his activity as an athlete due to this. Now new testing for EPO makes detection of doping much easier.
2. Its improves the oxidative energy system allow endurance athletes to have superior performance during competition. EPO increases the production of red blood cells which increases VO2 maxes of athletes. This is because the increased concentration of blood allows for more oxygen and carbon dioxide to circulate throughout the body.
3. Athletes may want to use EPO during training because it could prolong the time spent in practice. Athletes who use EPO have increased blood viscosity allowing for more oxygen to be supplied to muscles resulting in improved endurance. This is beneficial to athletes practicing because it allows them to perform more repetitions and have more energy throughout a practice. More repetitions translate to better muscle memory during competition.
Explain what effect taking EPO has on ones energy systems, which energy systems become perfered, what energy systems do they stay away from, and why?
EPO increases number of blood cells found in athletes blood directly impacting delivery of oxygen to muscles throughout the body. This increased reliance on the oxidative energy system has an opposite effect than expected relative to the other 2 energy systems. Due to the increased circulation of oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the body, it become easier to shift into using the oxidative energy system. In turn, it becomes harder to train the glycolysis or ATP PCr energy system. Ultimately, the increased oxygen makes it easier to shift into the oxidative energy systems being less reliant on the other two systems.
Fully explain the drug functions of EPO from injections to how it works and what changes are a result of this use.
When EPO is first injected, it enter the blood stream and travels until it binds to receptors in the bone marrow. Since EPO is a hormone naturally produced by the kidneys to make more red blood cells, this EPO has the same function and tell the bone marrow to ramp up red blood cell production. This increased density of red blood cells in the blood increases viscosity and decreases plasma. The benefits of this increase is that more oxygen travels around the body to muscles allowing for an improved oxidative energy system.
List short, medium, and long term effects of EPO as well as possible negative effects and how to manage them.
Short: In the short term, athlete's bodies respond to the added hormone and it signals to the bone marrow to produce additional red blood cells.
Medium: The additional red blood cells give athletes the sense of an increased VO2 max and greatly improve endurance. This increased endurance decrease resting heart rate but increase blood pressure due to the increased blood pressure.
Long: After stopping EPO use, the kidneys gradually return to normal function and production of EPO starts back up again. It takes some time before athletes return to a baseline VO2 max similar to the one they had prior to doping.
Negative side effects: Due to the increased blood viscosity, heart disease, stoke, and other circulatory system diseases are common. This is because of the increased blood pressure and clogging of arteries. One way to counteract this is to consult a doctor to ensure safe use of EPO to minimize risk and negative side effects.