Olympic athletes who are taking HGH supplements should be wary because WADA is now planning to implement a new testing method for human growth hormone. Although the Olympics adopted HGH testing years ago, no single athlete was caught using the synthetic human growth hormone. There were at least 8 positive tests recorded in different sports disciplines but it was not in Olympic competition. This is the reason why the World Anti-Doping Agency and other anti-doping institutions around the world continued their efforts to find a better testing method. Actually, this current method is used as an alibi of the NFL player’s association in resisting the implementation of the HGH test in football.

New HGH Testing Method in Time for London Olympics

In a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, WADA Director General David Howman said that an improved method of testing HGH could be in place in the coming London Olympics. “We hope to introduce the test this year. It will open a new window in the fight against doping,” Howman said.

The current method uses the isoform test which can only detect the presence of human growth hormone in the body up to 72 hours. Experts say that advanced dopers can evade detection because of the limitation of the test. Last year, the USADA and UK Anti-Doping met to discuss the merits of the new method of detecting HGH. Both anti-doping bodies agreed that the improvement in the detection method will help them combat doping in professional sports. Now that WADA made the announcement, the new method has been validated by their scientists and is ready for implementation.

Howman also said that they are working on new testing methods that can detect blood transfusions. This is another doping method used by professional athletes especially in endurance sports. EPO is another concern of WADA. They want a more comprehensive testing for this banned substance. They noted that some laboratories do not include EPO tests because of the cost of testing.

The Biomarker Test for Synthetic HGH

The new method of detecting synthetic HGH is called biomarker. It will also use blood samples but its detection period is longer as compared to the isoform test. According to Tygart of USADA, the biomarker test can detect HGH use from 10 days up to 21 days. This is indeed a dramatic improvement from the current method. Another good thing about this new method is it can be used together with the existing HGH test. This can be a significant deterrent to doping athletes especially in the Olympics.

One significant difference of the biomarker test is on how it detects synthetic growth hormones in the body. The isoform test looks for the presence of HGH in the body while the biomarker looks for certain chemicals that were produced by the body after using HGH. So a biomarker test is more focused on the effects of artificial human growth hormone in the body. Anti-doping scientists say that this development in catching HGH users is the product of 12 years of research.

Percentage of Doping Athletes Could be Higher

Howman also added that based on their research there could be at least 10% of professional athletes who are taking banned substances. So authorities should not be complacent and must continue their efforts to curtail doping in sports. “If there is more than 10 percent of the athletes in the world being tempted to take the shortcut by taking prohibited substances, then we’ve got an issue that is not being confronted as well as it should be,” the WADA director said.

However, he clarified that it doesn’t mean that a lot of Olympic athletes are into doping. “People go to the Olympic Games very well prepared for a big event, knowing if they are going to make a mistake it is the worst shame they can bring upon themselves, their family.” This is an event that athletes will less likely take shortcuts. Howman said that cheating athletes are usually caught in pre-game testing. He also warned those who would try to circumvent the anti-doping rules. “The real sophisticated guy might try to get away with it. But the program is going to be extensive,” he added.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS