3.2.4.5 Drugs in sport GapFill

A win-at-all-costs attitude could result in athletes turning to illegal drugs in sport, which not only increases their risk of bans, fines and public scrutiny if caught, but also presents various health risks. Some of the most commonly used drugs and their physiological effects are outlined below:

•  AnabolicHyperbolicMetabolicCatabolic steroids – These mimic the mainly male hormone,  oestrogenprogesteronetestosteroneadrenaline, and are most commonly taken in maximal-intensity sports such as weightlifting and short-distance sprint events due to their beneficial effect on enhancing muscle protein synthesis to promote growth and recovery, thus developing fitness qualities such as strength and  coordinationpowerreaction timeendurance. Many athletes renowned for their successes have subsequently been found guilty of using this type of drug, including sprinters Dwain Chambers, Marion Jones, Ben Johnson, Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay.
  
• Erythropoietin (EPO) – Synthetic versions of this drug are capable of stimulating the production of   red blood cellsmyoglobinmuscle cellswhite blood cells and, in turn, increased haemoglobin content in the blood. This increases the oxygen-carrying  erythrocytescapacityimpotencelimitation of blood to working muscles during exercise, improving the efficiency of gaseous exchange at the muscle and prolonging performance before fatigue becomes limiting. Therefore, it is mostly suited to   anaerobicpowerreactiveendurance activities such as long-distance running, cycling and swimming. A notable case in professional sport was Lance Armstrong, who was stripped of many Tour de France gold medals as a consequence of taking EPO.
• Beta blockers – These are used to  enhance visionsteady nervesmaintain posturemaintain balance by lowering heart rate and blood pressure. They are used for sports that require the use of  simplefinecomplexgross skills such as in darts, archery and snooker.