Culture and Society
How do athletes hide illegal drug use?
Answered by
Discovery Fit & Health
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Discovery Fit & Health
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Athletes who use unsanctioned drugs resort to all types of tricks in an effort to hide illicit drug use:
- Diuretics cause the body to produce more urine, and athletes sometimes use diuretics to reduce the illicit drug concentration in their urine.
- Epitestosterone is a type of testosterone that generally has no effect on an athlete's performance. However, tests for testosterone levels often measure the body's ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone (T/E ratio). The more epitestosterone in the body, the lower the T/E ratio will be. Many athletes favor epitestosterone because it has no serious side effects.
- Plasma expanders increase the amount of fluid in blood. The more fluid in an athlete's blood, the less illicit substances will show up on a blood test.
- Secretion inhibitors prevent certain proteins from being secreted in urine. Some athletes take secretion inhibitors to prevent illicit substances from showing up on a urine screen.
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