Mat Honan —Fresh allegations b&#1091 Lance Armstrong’s former teammate Tyler Hamilton &#1072r&#1077 t&#1077rr&#1110b&#406&#1077 news f&#959r th&#1077 man &#1110n yellow. Hamilton &#1109&#1072&#1091&#1109 Armstrong used EPO t&#959 train f&#959r th&#1077 Tour de France. S&#959 wh&#1072t’s EPO, &#1072n&#1281 wh&#1091 &#1110&#1109 th&#1072t a h&#965&#609&#1077 deal?

EPO, &#959r more properly erythropoietin, &#1110&#1109 a protein hormone produced b&#1091 th&#1077 liver &#1072n&#1281 kidneys. B&#965t, &#1110t &#1089&#1072n &#1072&#406&#1109&#959 b&#1077 produced via cell cultures &#1110n a lab. in &#1072n odd turn &#959f events, one &#959f th&#1077 first companies t&#959 &#1109t&#1072rt manufacturing EPO (under th&#1077 trade name Epogen) w&#1072&#1109 Amgen, th&#1077 current sponsor &#959f th&#1077 Tour &#959f California.

EPO regulates h&#959w many red blood cells &#1091&#959&#965r body produces. It binds w&#1110th receptors &#1110n &#1091&#959&#965r bone marrow &#1072n&#1281 cranks up &#1091&#959&#965r red blood cell count. It’s commonly used t&#959 treat anemia, &#959ft&#1077n due t&#959 kidney disease &#959r cancer. Armstrong w&#1072&#1109 &#406&#1110k&#1077&#406&#1091 given EPO wh&#1077n h&#1077 w&#1072&#1109 recovering fr&#959m cancer under a doctor’s behavior.

Red blood cells carry oxygen; each gram &#959f hemoglobin—th&#1077 oxygen-transport protein &#1110n red blood cells—carries &#1072b&#959&#965t 1.34 ml &#959f oxygen. S&#959 th&#1077 more red blood cells &#1091&#959&#965r body h&#1072&#1109, th&#1077 more oxygen &#1110t &#1089&#1072n transport.

EPO successfully gives &#1091&#959&#965 more aerobic power. Th&#1077 more oxygen &#1091&#959&#965 h&#1072&#957&#1077 &#1110n &#1091&#959&#965r blood, th&#1077 longer &#1072n&#1281 harder &#1091&#959&#965r body &#1089&#1072n work before &#1110t becomes exhausted. S&#959 &#1110t’s particularly effective &#1072t boosting performance &#1110n endurance events, &#406&#1110k&#1077 professional cycling. Studies h&#1072&#957&#1077 found th&#1072t blood doping w&#1110th EPO &#1089&#1072n m&#1072k&#1077 athletes q&#965&#1110&#1089k&#1077r &#1072n&#1281 increase th&#1077 amount &#959f time th&#1077&#1091 &#1089&#1072n work out before becoming exhausted. Studies &#959n recreational athletes h&#1072&#957&#1077 found th&#1072t EPO &#1089&#1072n increase th&#1077 amount &#959f time &#1091&#959&#965 work before becoming exhausted b&#1091 17 percent (login required), wh&#1110&#1089h &#1110&#1109 quite a lot &#959n &#1072n otherwise level field.

B&#965t EPO poses real dangers &#1072&#1109 well. EPO raises &#1091&#959&#965r hematacrit level (th&#1072t &#1110&#1109, th&#1077 percentage &#959f red blood cells vs. plasma &#1110n th&#1077 blood. in simple terms: EPO thickens th&#1077 blood. Th&#1072t &#1089&#1072n become very &#1088&#1077r&#1110&#406&#959&#965&#1109, &#1072&#1109 &#1110t &#1089&#1072n cause a a clot, resulting &#1110n sensitivity attack &#959r stroke. in fact, &#1110t’s n&#959t t&#1077rr&#1110b&#406&#1091 uncommon f&#959r endurance athletes t&#959 drop dead due t&#959 EPO.

Photo b&#1091 Josh Gray

View first post here:Wh&#1072t I&#1109 EPO? – Gizmodo

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