Tweet
Can NFL Effectively Catch Users of Human Growth Hormone?
The NFL is the first professional league in North America to test for the controversial HGH drug. The league was lauded for this initiative but skeptics still doubts if the new anti-doping program will become a success. A portion of the newly drafted CBA states, ?the parties confirm that the Program on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances will include both annual blood testing and random blood testing for human growth hormone, with discipline for positive tests at the same level as for steroids.?
Last week, some football players aired their concerns on the procedures that will be implemented by the league. They contend that there is a possibility that the blood samples could be used in profiling players. Although the league already assured them that it will only be used for the HGH test.
More Compelling Issues
Now that HGH testing is part of the 10-year CBA, the issue now is on how it can effectively catch doping football players. Some players previously claimed that more than 10 percent of the players in the league could be on HGH. Others claim that the rate is higher which can reach up to 50%. With this figure, it is but right for the sport organization to adopt HGH testing. However, the current testing method for HGH can only detect the substance within 24-48 hours. A very short window period for anti-doping testers.
Anti-doping expert Charles Yesalis contends that the method of HGh testing is weak. ?I don?t trust that test. It can only catch people in a small window of opportunity,? he told the Discovery.com website. He also said the human growth hormone is released in an episodic manner so the level of HGH in the body varies. This is the reason why others worry about the reliability of the testing.
Another issue that Yesalis pointed out is on how the testing procedure is implemented. ?There?s not an independent group that is coming in to do the testing. The proof will be in the details and how it is implemented,? Yesalis added.
HGH Works like Steroids
Health experts are convinced that many professional athletes, not just in the football league, are using the synthetic human growth hormone. The reasons are very obvious. HGH works like anabolic steroids. This drug promotes the release of insulin growth factor in the body. It targets on muscles and bones and then turns fats into muscles. It also helps the immune system. ?It does many of the things that anabolic steroids do, such as increasing strength and helping recuperation from workouts. It has all the good stuff that athletes desire,? Yesalis said.
Matt Chaney, author of a book discussing doping in football, also told the Discovery.com that many players are using HGH because it makes them more powerful. Players told him that HGH is usually combined with a low dose of anabolic steroids to avoid getting positive result in a steroid test.
First Season, the Test Drive
The league is confident that the HGH testing together with game-day testing for steroids and HGH will catch a number of doping players. But the success of these new programs can be assessed only after a season or a year of comprehensive implementation. If there is no increase in the number of positive test or none of the players were caught using HGH, then the new anti-doping initiative is not working.
The NFL is the first professional league in North America to test for the controversial HGH drug. The league was lauded for this initiative but skeptics still doubts if the new anti-doping program will become a success. A portion of the newly drafted CBA states, ?the parties confirm that the Program on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances will include both annual blood testing and random blood testing for human growth hormone, with discipline for positive tests at the same level as for steroids.?
Last week, some football players aired their concerns on the procedures that will be implemented by the league. They contend that there is a possibility that the blood samples could be used in profiling players. Although the league already assured them that it will only be used for the HGH test.
More Compelling Issues
Now that HGH testing is part of the 10-year CBA, the issue now is on how it can effectively catch doping football players. Some players previously claimed that more than 10 percent of the players in the league could be on HGH. Others claim that the rate is higher which can reach up to 50%. With this figure, it is but right for the sport organization to adopt HGH testing. However, the current testing method for HGH can only detect the substance within 24-48 hours. A very short window period for anti-doping testers.
Anti-doping expert Charles Yesalis contends that the method of HGh testing is weak. ?I don?t trust that test. It can only catch people in a small window of opportunity,? he told the Discovery.com website. He also said the human growth hormone is released in an episodic manner so the level of HGH in the body varies. This is the reason why others worry about the reliability of the testing.
Another issue that Yesalis pointed out is on how the testing procedure is implemented. ?There?s not an independent group that is coming in to do the testing. The proof will be in the details and how it is implemented,? Yesalis added.
HGH Works like Steroids
Health experts are convinced that many professional athletes, not just in the football league, are using the synthetic human growth hormone. The reasons are very obvious. HGH works like anabolic steroids. This drug promotes the release of insulin growth factor in the body. It targets on muscles and bones and then turns fats into muscles. It also helps the immune system. ?It does many of the things that anabolic steroids do, such as increasing strength and helping recuperation from workouts. It has all the good stuff that athletes desire,? Yesalis said.
Matt Chaney, author of a book discussing doping in football, also told the Discovery.com that many players are using HGH because it makes them more powerful. Players told him that HGH is usually combined with a low dose of anabolic steroids to avoid getting positive result in a steroid test.
First Season, the Test Drive
The league is confident that the HGH testing together with game-day testing for steroids and HGH will catch a number of doping players. But the success of these new programs can be assessed only after a season or a year of comprehensive implementation. If there is no increase in the number of positive test or none of the players were caught using HGH, then the new anti-doping initiative is not working.