Dopers? Athletes on Viagra
Athletes looking for a performance boost appear to be turning to a little blue pill more often taken for its off-the-field benefits: Viagra.
Experts are divided over whether the erectile-dysfunction drug actually offers an edge, but it has attracted the attention of the World Anti-Doping Agency. The agency said it’s studying Viagra’s effects in athletes but hasn’t yet banned it.
Viagra is not on the International Olympic Committee’s list of prohibited drugs, either, so athletes can take it at the Beijing Olympics. Keep an eye out for that, eh?
Viagra works by increasing the effects of nitric oxide, which makes blood vessels expand. That, theoretically, should allow blood cells to get more oxygen from the lungs and might improve heart function.
But whether Viagra makes athletes faster, higher or stronger is uncertain.
“Just because you have more nitric oxide doesn’t mean that you are going to be a better athlete,” said Anthony Butch, director of the Olympic Analytical laboratory at UCLA. “If you have all the nitric oxide you need, and if you generate more from Viagra, it’s not clear what effect that would have.”
Some preliminary studies have shown that cyclists taking Viagra improved their performances by up to 40%.
