New doping test can accurately identify cheaters among female athletes
Advances in medical science have now touched the world of sports as well
(Web Desk) - This innovation promises more accurate results, marking a significant step forward in the fight against doping in sports.
Advances in medical science have now touched the world of sports as well.
Notably, a new doping test has been unveiled that has the potential to detect cheating among female athletes more accurately.
In general, male athletes face three times more doping bans than females.
Now, Karolinska Institute has come up with a new doctoral thesis that states that one of the reasons behind this disparity is that doping tests mostly fail to consider women’s varying hormone profiles.
To address this issue, experts have suggested an alternative. This involves a blood test and a limit value, enabling doping tests for both elite and casual athletes.
There has been a lot of debate on testosterone levels in elite female athletes, yet scientific studies on the subject remain limited. But Jona Elings Knutsson’s doctoral thesis talks about what enhances physical performance in women.
In one of her studies published in 2019, she noted that supplementary testosterone could increase stamina in an average female runner by 8.5%.
In order to cross-verify her facts, she conducted a double-blind testosterone study. It included 48 healthy, physically active women aged 18 to 35.
Half of them were given a placebo and the other half a testosterone skin cream. The study revealed that only two of the 24 women whose performance improved with testosterone tested positive for doping.
“The reason is that current doping tests are developed for men, and don’t take account of women’s varying hormone profile,” explained Jona Elings Knutsson.
Currently, urine tests are being conducted on female athletes in order to keep a tab on doping. However, the results could be misleading sometimes owing to menstruation or consumption of contraceptive pills.
It has been considered important to find an alternative to urine tests owing to the aforementioned reasons.
In order to do so, 340 women were randomly assigned to take either a contraceptive pill or a placebo for three months.
Results showed a correlation between the steroid hormones testosterone and androstenedione in the blood. They remained consistent regardless of contraceptive use or menstruation.
Other research groups also confirmed these findings, leading the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to introduce blood tests for elite athletes in doping controls last year.
