Viagra as a Sports Enhancer
October 13th, 2009
Viagra, the performance-enhancing drug, is being put to the test to determine whether it is giving athletes an unfair advantage — not for romance but out on the playing field.
All too aware of the Viagra trend, the World Anti-Doping Agency is funding a new study to determine if Viagra can be used to cheat in sports competition. The little blue pill, associated with treating sexual dysfunction in men, is suspected of dilating blood vessels in athletes and unduly increasing oxygen-carrying capacity, giving them an unfair competitive advantage.
If the study being conducted at Marywood University proves Viagra’s potential in the sporting arena, the anti-doping agency will consider banning the drug.
Viagra, (sildenafil citrate) was devised to treat pulmonary hypertension, or high blood pressure in arteries of the lungs. The drug works by suppressing an enzyme that controls blood flow, allowing the vessels to relax and widen. The same mechanism facilitates blood flow into the penis of impotent men. In the case of athletes, increased cardiac output and more efficient transport of oxygenated fuel to the muscles can enhance endurance.
“Basically, it (Viagra) allows you to compete with a sea level, or near-sea level, aerobic capacity at altitude,” Kenneth W Rundell, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Marywood, said.
Some experts are more sceptical. Anthony Butch, director of the Olympic drug-testing lab at UCLA, said it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible to prove that Viagra provided a competitive edge, given that the differences in performance would be slight and that athletes would most probably take it in combination with other drugs.
Entry Filed under: Viagra