Blood doping

Blood doping is a way of increasing the number of red blood cells in the bloodstream. This is done to improve athletic performance. Because blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles, a having more red cells in the blood can improve an athlete's aerobic capacity (VO2 max) and endurance.[1] Many methods of blood doping are illegal, particularly in professional sport.

There are a number of different methods. Frozen blood taken from the individual previously can be used for a later transplant; packed red cells from a compatible donor may be used, and blood substitutes may be used. The growth area in illegal blood doping of athletes is blood substitutes.

References

  1. ↑ Jelkmann, W.; Lundby, C. (2011). "Blood doping and its detection". Blood. 118 (9): 2395–2704. doi:10.1182/blood-2011-02-303271. PMID 21652677.




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