All competitive level athletes should be able to build steroid courses so that they save the result before the start of the competition. And while not getting a positive result on a doping test. Almost simultaneously with the beginning of the use of illegal drugs in sports, the fight against them began. Of course, the athletes did not put up with the prohibitions and began to look for ways to hide the traces of illegal drugs. At first, athletes and their coaches expected that the use of diuretics and other simple methods would be sufficient. However, doping control procedures are constantly being improved, which leads to the emergence of new methods of concealment. Today we will figure out how to hide the use of steroids and illegal drugs.
Methods for concealing steroid use
Today, the following camouflage methods are most popular:
- Athletes use drugs with a short half-life, which makes it possible to quickly remove their metabolites.
- Some healthcare professionals believe that the traces of steroids can be hidden by the simultaneous use of diuretics. It is believed that due to this, along with a large amount of fluid, metabolites of anabolic steroids will also be excreted. But this is not the most effective method of masking, and among other things, all diuretics are now on the list of prohibited drugs. If during the doping test it is possible to find traces of diuretics, then the athlete will be sanctioned as for the use of AAS. It should also be noted here that in those sports where there is a division into weight categories, this method will lead to a loss of body weight.
- It is believed that the combined use of prohibited drugs and polycyclic compounds can distort the results of the chromatogram and mass spectrum. But almost all drugs in this group are prohibited, and their use will result in sanctions from sports federations.
- It is possible to hide the traces of doping with the help of probenecid, but it is now also prohibited for use by athletes.
- If traces of undeclared drugs are found in an athlete, they can be considered prohibited.
- It is a very common misconception that the consumption of large quantities of lemons helps to mask the traces of doping drugs. It is safe to say that this will not produce the desired results.
The methods you have described for hiding the traces of illegal drugs, although used frequently, are not always effective. However, other methods have also been created that make it possible to mask the metabolites of steroids and other compounds. So, say, athletes can simply stop using them in time or use substances that are difficult to determine. For example, you can take the indicator of the ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone. For most, it is 1 to 1, but sometimes the concentration of endogenous male hormone is even higher. For this reason, a permissible ratio of 4 to 1 was established. When this indicator is analyzed during a doping test, not only the ratio of these substances is determined, but also the entire steroid profile of the athlete is viewed. It is because of this that one can understand that steroids were used.
Athletes have come up with a variety of ways to hide the traces of testosterone-based drugs. These include various schemes for the use of AAS or the use of tablets instead of injections, there are special patches that constantly supply the male hormone to the body through the skin, the introduction of large doses of epitestosterone to equalize the ratio of this substance with the male hormone.
Often, athletes deliberately maintain a testosterone to epitestosterone ratio of 4 to 1. This leads to an increase in the effectiveness of training and makes it difficult to identify traces of steroids. Today, pharmaceutical companies are actively working on various projects to create new schemes for masking traces of prohibited substances, as well as modern doping agents. But this is a very long process, which in most cases does not justify the funds invested in this research. To a greater extent, this applies to the use of peptides of some hormones. They can be used as side-agents to increase endogenous hormone levels.
Schemes are also used to hide the traces of doping due to the substitution of samples for others that do not contain doping. So a catheter with a container containing a clean sample can be used. It is placed in the bladder. If necessary, the stopper is removed and clean urine flows out of a suitable container.
Or a special secret belt can be used. Today, an important rule when taking doping samples is to match the temperature of urine and body. The belt contains a sample bag and is placed on the lower back or just below the stomach. Body heat warms the sample container.
However, this scheme may not work, since most often an observer is present when the sample is taken. In this case, a special device called the Whizzinator is used to simulate a male penis.
It should also be noted that prohibited substances can be detected through the negligence of the specialists conducting the tests, or this is done on purpose. There are cases when athletes were given food containing steroids. This is very easy, since when AAS is administered to a chicken after eating such meat, traces of the steroid will be found in the athlete's sample.
But it is important to understand that everyone is well aware of all these methods of concealing the traces of doping agents. If an experienced specialist is present when the sample is taken, and there are no others at the largest competitions, then the fact of an attempt to change the sample will be discovered. As a result, the athlete may be punished not only for the use of doping, but also an attempt to change the sample.
For information on how to hide the use of steroids in bodybuilding tournaments, see this video interview:
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