The fight against doping has its limits, according to Professor Michel Rieu

The fight against doping has its limits, according to Professor Michel Rieu, scientific adviser to the Council of prevention and fight against doping which intervened before the Academy of Medicine during a session on the benefits and risks of the sport.

The most commonly used products

While Academicians see in the sport means to prevent the harmful effects of physical inactivity and obesity, they could not ignore its most reprehensible aspect, doping, a practice that endangers the amateurs and elite athletes level.

The fight against this practice, implemented in France by the Act of March 1999, appears to be still insufficient. "Doping is not improved. Instead, benefiting from advances in science in the field of sports physiology, biology, and pharmacology, techniques become more sophisticated. Moreover, sports take advantage of the slightest flaw may exist in the regulatory mechanisms, "he said.

"In the future, he said, during a press conference, it will change the method, do not look for the cause but the effect of doping on the body," putting all his hopes on a method developed developed by a researcher at INRA, Paris André on cattle for the presence of anabolic steroids. It is the establishment of a biological profile by collecting a series of data that are somehow "biological signature" of substance use.

Pending the development of the method, doping continues in forms or diverted (false asthma authorizing the use of steroids, dietary supplements) or still undetectable as the use of growth hormone, a banned but effective and above all easily accessible.

The results of 2003 show that 6.30% of 8104 urine doping controls carried out in France were positive. The substances most frequently detected were glucocorticoids (39.5%), cannabis (17.82%) and beta-2 agonists (16.55%), reported Dr. Michel Rieu. Controlled most affected sports are cycling (14% positive), weightlifting (11%), rugby (9%).

But experts agree, these results do not reflect the reality, even if the government has introduced random checks. The temptation is always great to use means to increase the aerobic potential (related to the ability for the body to carry oxygen from the air to the working muscles) or increase its power and muscle strength.

Increased aerobic potential is the primary concern of endurance sports (running beyond 1500 meters, skiing, cycling). To this end all processes to improve the transport of oxygen are used: erythropoietin (EPO), blood autotransfusion, artificial hemoglobin, perfluorocarbons particular.

Increasing muscle strength is achieved with anabolic androgenic steroids, growth hormone, growth factors, hormones somatrope axis, beta-2 agonists.

Many drugs are also used for their effects on the central nervous system stimulants whose role is to reduce fatigue as amphetamine and its derivatives, cocaine, ephedrine or caffeine, morphine and its derivatives .

Some pharmacological protocols accelerate the recovery process: the combination of insulin, IGF-1 and GH injected into the serum glucose infusions. You can also search the masking products. Moreover, many products have versatile actions: corticosteroids, beta-2 agonists, EPO.

The limits

The limits of detection are numerous products. Firstly, explained Dr. Rieu, the rate of metabolism of the products concerned is often fast making "totally random or unlikely the possibility to detect in urine of athletes. Then it may be difficult to distinguish endogenous production the body of an exogenous supply. This is particularly the case for growth hormone.

In addition, the use of certain substances on the banned list is nevertheless authorized by local roads and subject to medical prescription.

This is particularly the case of beta-2 agonists (inhalation) and corticosteroids (inhalations, ointments, intra-articular injections). Finally, some substances are not popular especially in cases where the product is only detectable in the blood (hemoglobin synthesis).

Another problem is the change occurred at the banned list did not facilitate the task of the inspectors. Indeed, some of the prohibited substances during competitions is now allowed or not under control during the off competition that is to say during training.

"In elite sport, doping is now a matter for specialists coaches, doctors, biologists, familiar with the pharmacokinetics of drugs used by the efforts performed:. Elimination time and during which they can be detected in the urine, duration of effect, access to laboratories capable of monitoring prior to the competition residual presence or absence of illicit substances in the blood and urine, "summarized Dr. Rieu.