Blood boosting is the giving of blood or blood products to an athlete to enhance performance. Other names for blood boosting are "blood doping" and "blood packing." Blood boosting is unethical and medically unsound. It conflicts with the standards of competitive sports. The International Olympic Committee and other competitive sports organizations ban it.
Blood boosting is very hard to detect. Methods are being developed to screen athletes for this practice.
The process of blood boosting starts with the removal of blood from the athlete. This blood is then frozen and stored for six to eight weeks. The athlete continues training with a reduced amount of blood. The athlete's blood rebuilds itself over the next weeks. Just before competition, the stored blood is given back to the athlete. The athlete's blood now contains an above normal number of blood cells. This increased number of blood cells allows the athlete to perform with greater endurance.
Donated blood from another person can also be used to boost the blood of an athlete. However, there is a risk for serious allergic reactions and infectious diseases with the use of donated blood.
Another problem with blood boosting is that too many blood cells result in "thick blood." As dehydration progresses, the blood becomes even thicker. There have been many cases of reported strokes from this practice.
Although blood boosting can improve athletic performance, it is an extremely dangerous practice. Athletes who do this have an unfair and unnatural advantage over athletes who do not. It is not in the spirit of fair sports competition, nor is it worth the potential health risks.
Article #7509
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