Diuretics and Masking Agents

Diuretics are products which help to remove body fluids. They cause a lost of water due to partial paralysis of water reabsorption. Powerful diuretics can increase orine flow about 6 liters per day.

Masking agents are compounds which are taken with the purpose of hide or mask the presence of others ilegal drugs during the antidoping tests. Masking agents have the potential of ruin or hide the prohibited substance in orine. For that reason, diuretics can be considered as masking agents due to orine dilution that give rise to smaller levels of the prohibited substance when is excrete by the body.

Diuretics and others masking agents has the 5º position among the most used drugs of all adverse analyzed results in the world. They are prohibited both inside and outside the competition. In the following image we can see specifically which are prohibited by WADA:

Kidney is the main organ trough these drugs are excreted.  Chemically, diuretics are a group of compunds which stimulate or inhibit several hormones that are naturally present in the body for regulate the orine production by kidneys.

Athletes use diuretics with the purpose of lose weigth quickly, specillay in that sports classified by weigth categories, and/or to cover the presence of other prohibited substances. However, the fluid losses through orine causes by this kind of drugs can lead to the depletion of intravascular volume. For that reason, an overage diuretics use generally drive to dehydration and hypovolemia, which is one of the main causes of hypokalemia. This situation may produce effecst as hypotension, muscular weakness, muscle cramps, irregular neurological functioning, cardiac arrhythmias or even heart attacks.

Dianabol - Advantages and side effects.

Metandienone, also known clinically as methandienone or methandrostenolone, and commercialised under the brand name Dianabol or Naposim, is one of the famoust androgen anabolic steroid (AAS).  

Dianabol had his peak in the 1970s, and it is taken by mouth, although also can be injected. Nowadays, it is still used due to his quick effects in gains of muscle mass, is easy to get and is cheaper than the most steroids.

For these reasons, Dianabol is used for physique and performance enhancing purposes, mainly in bodybuilders or strength athletes. It is believed to be the most widely used AAS for such aims but today and historically. On the other hand, therapeutic use of Dianabol has been aimed to the treatment of hypogonadism and osteoporosis. 

Dianabol working deacresing cortisone which is propitious for muscle mass enhancing due to the catabolic effects of the corticoids hormones. Increase blood testosterone concentration and provide feelings of wellbeing, improve appetite and mood, and also speed muscle recovery.

Obviusly, this steroid also have important side effects. It is commong that it is transformed into estrogen, that will cause gynecomastia and fluid retention. Since decreasing the natural testosterone production, can generate testicular atrophy. Moreover, Dianabol is a product strongly toxic for the liver, so that more likely the Dianabol consum could result in liver damage. Besides all this, the Dianabol intake can cause oily skin, acne, seborrhea, increased facial/body hair growth, scalp hair loss and virilization, typical androgenic side effects. 

Why are cannabinoids prohibited? Functioning and effects.

The Cannabinoids are a group of natural substances present in the plant Cannabis Sativa. Chemically they are derivated of dibenzopyrene or monoterpenoids. The Cannabis Sativa contanis about 420 chemical compounds of which the more important are THC, cannabinol (CBN) y cannabidiol (CBD). You can see the molecular form of these substances below.

As happen with the opiates, that they join directly to the endorphine receptors, the cannabinoids receptors join to his specific molecule: the anandamide. The anadamide is involved in the regulation of the mood, memory, appetite, pain, cognition and feelings.

Cannabis is widely use to have the characteristics of mood alteration and relaxation. The lack of scientific evidence about how cannabis could increase the performance is associated with the obvius evidence of their harmful effects over psychomotor skills and the cognosctive function, what could be dangerous in certain sport modalities (sky, motor sports).

The prohibition of the use of cannabinoids in sports is based in the safety concern during training and competition. According to the WADA, cannabinoids samples not are analysed in out competition tests.

The primary effects of cannabinoids are exercised over the central nervous system and cause lack of physical effort motivation and a weakening of the psychomotor system, memory and perception in the short term. Regarding to the physiological effects, cannabinoids cause tachycardia, bronchodilation and a greater blood flow to the limbs. The chronic consumption of cannabinoids could produce the destruction of CB1 brain receptors, giving as a result a blood flow shortening and a decrease in the glucose and oxygen supply to the brain what could produce attention déficit, memory lose and a deteriorated learning capacity.

Finally, it should be noted that since the beginning of 2018 Cannabidiol(CBD) stopped being considered as a ilegal substance by the WADA. We will talk deeper about it in following posts.