Meldonium benefits and risks in a full doping guide

Because of new scandals associated with the use of banned drugs, we decided to publish this doping guide, including Meldonium benefits and risks. Which kinds of doping are trendy? How do they actually work? Which sportsmen use them?

A brief doping guide

Here are most popular types of doping, used both by professional athletes and common people.

Erythropoietin (EPO)

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone that stimulates the formation of erythrocytes and increases hemoglobin levels in the blood, thereby improving endurance. Usually, they use it in cycling, cross country skiing, biathlon, speed skating, and swimming.

For example, in 2001, at the world championship in cross-country skiing almost all the starry Finnish team was caught on EPO usage.

Anabolic steroids

First of all, we mean such steroids as testosterone, but sportsmen quite often use other ones, too. These drugs accelerate the synthesis of protein inside cells, which leads to a significant increase in muscle mass. In fact, a person may gain 5 to 10 kg of lean muscle mass per month when using steroids.

Do you remember Ben Johnson, or Carl Lewis, or Marion Jones, or Tim Montgomery, or Nadezhda Ostapchuk? Actually, seems like almost everyone used anabolic steroids for better results, especially in athletics, weightlifting, and swimming.

Diuretics

Among them are chlortalidone, acetazolamide, triamterine, and furosemide. These drugs help remove excess fluid from the body, particularly during steroid usage. They give relief to the muscles, help reduce body weight quickly, and improve the appearance of athletes.

Athletes usually use diuretics before competitions, as their effect is rather short. These drugs are most popular among those performing in rhythmic gymnastics, figure skating, athletics, and weightlifting.

Blood transfusion

In cycling, athletics, and cross country skiing they use it to accelerates the delivery of oxygen to the muscles, thereby increasing productivity. In 1985 all kinds of transfusions were banned by WADA.

Stimulants of mental activity

You may be surprised, but not only rock stars love cocaine. Athletes use it, as well as ephedrine, ecstasy and amphetamines, to boost brain activity and to increase endurance. In addition, these drugs reduce fatigue.

You can find it in absolutely any kind of sport, from boxing to rhythmic gymnastics. In 1994, the famous Diego Maradona was disqualified for 15 months for the use of ephedrine in the World Cup.

Meldonium benefits and risks

Still, one of the most popular drugs used in sports is Meldonium, or Mildronate. Once included in the list of substances allowed for athletes, now it is officially recognized as doping by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

But what are Meldonium benefits and risks? This metabolic drug is stimulating and protective, as far as it normalizes the work of cells with oxygen or nutritional deficiency.

In medicine, they use it to treat coronary heart disease, heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes, first of all. Also, Meldonium helps in case of nervous and physical exhaustion, insufficiency of blood circulation, respiratory system problems, some eye diseases, and complications of diabetes. In addition, the drug may help fight alcohol addiction.

Meldonium benefits: Masha knows

Because of the disqualification due to Meldonium usage, famous Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova missed the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She first came to court in April this yea, and won.

Maria Sharapova recently told in her childhood she had heart problems. So, she took some specific drugs, including Meldonium.

In December 2015, Drug Testing and Analysis published a study that proves that Meldonium increases the endurance of athletes, improves recovery, protects against stress and increases the functional activity of the central nervous system.

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