SCRANTON, Pennsylvania(CMC):
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) officials will decide next year if Viagra, the erectile-dysfunction drug, should be added to its list of prohibited substances.
A committee will review the findings of a study conducted by researchers at Marywood University on behalf of WADA to look at how the drug helps athletes cope with air pollution, as well as its effect on increasing performance at mild altitude.
"There have been studies that indicate that Viagra allows you to exercise at sea-level capacity at higher elevations," said Kenneth Rundell, the director of respiratory research and human physiology lab at Marywood.
Popular substitutes
Viagra and its over-the-counter substitutes have become quite popular in locker rooms and clubhouses all over the world for the purpose that it was created.
It is also selective to certain parts of the body though, including the arteries coming from the heart to the lungs, where it not only delivers more oxygen, but also removes waste products, including carbon dioxide.
Victor Conte, head and founder of the BALCO lab in the United States, which was involved in a number of high-profile doping cases in sports, explained what happens is that oxygen is transported into the heart to be pumped out to rest of the body
"Viagra vasodilates (widens) the lungs and pulmonary arteries," he said. "This is where the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen occurs. So, more red blood cells carrying oxygen get into the heart and more carbon dioxide is pumped out."
Stamina, endurance
Conte noted that the drug can help all kinds of athletes improve their performance, not just marathoners or cyclists.
"It gives you stamina and endurance," he says. "Viagra could possibly accelerate the removal of fatigue acids and prolong the onset of fatigue.
"Would it help an offensive lineman who is making play after play after play? Yes. Would it be performance-enhancing for a major league pitcher who's throwing pitch after pitch after pitch? I believe the answer is yes. Would it help a sprinter? Maybe not in competition, but in training. They run one sprint, they walk one sprint. If you enhance your recovery in repeat sprints, ultimately you run faster in competition."
The conclusion is that Viagra's main benefit to athletes is that it accelerates recovery.
