Viagra puts some on the winning track
THE sex drug Viagra is currently not an illegal substance in world sport.
But the authorities are considering making it one, reported The Daily Mail
They find that some male athletes have been taking the medication, normally prescribed to cure impotence, to boost their performances on track.
The drug – reportedly nicknamed ‘Vitamin V’ in sporting circles – improves blood flow to their lungs
It also boosts the blood supply to the muscles – helpful in sprinting – and may enhance endurance, especially when there is air pollution or the performer is at a high altitude.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), the body that monitors the use of performance-enhancing drugs, is considering adding Viagra to its list of illegal substances.
Wada is to look into the effects of the drug, but the results are expected only next year, so athletes at the Beijing Olympics will still be able to take Viagra, said the report.
Dr Christiane Ayotte, a scientist at a Wada-accredited laboratory, said she regularly finds Viagra and Cialis, a similar drug, in the urine samples of male competitors.
She said: ‘Each time there is a seizure of banned drugs, you can be sure that there’s Viagra and Cialis found as well.’
WON’T HELP ALL
Research on cyclists who took sildenafil citrate, the chemical name for Viagra, found that it improved their time over 6km by 15 per cent.
However, the study, done in 2006 and published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, found that it did not work for all athletes and was not a significant performance enhancer at sea level.
Victor Conte, who ran a company that supplied banned drugs to leading US athletes such as Marion Jones, said of Viagra: ‘All my athletes took it. It’s bigger than creatine (a legal muscle-building supplement).’
Conte, who served a few months in jail for distributing steroids and now campaigns to clean up sport, said earlier this year: ‘There’s still rampant drugs out there.’
Athletes may also be taking Viagra to counteract the effects of steroids – which some take to build muscles, but which can lead to impotence.
Viagra’s maker, Pfizer, said that it was aware of the issue and discouraged the use of the drug – intended to treat erectile dysfunction – for anything ‘other than what it is approved for’.
Related posts:
- Wada to consider banning Viagra
- Viagra, ‘Vitamin V’ Up for International Sporting Ban
- Why Viagra is a great workout partner for athletes
- Viagra, laughing gas could offer edge
- Viagra talk gives sports world a rise
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