The inhalation of carbon monoxide in precise doses it can improve the sports performancebut in high doses it can be fatal, according to Dr. Iker García Alday (Logroño, 31 years old), professor of physiology at Escola Vitae, a center attached to Abat Oliba CEU University and researcher of exercise physiology.
Such training, used by runners such as Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard This has sparked debate in the cycling world, with opinions for and against.
While the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is studying the matter, the Credible Cycling Movement (MPCC), which includes 8 World Team teams and a total of 385 riders, recently came out against carbon monoxide inhalation.
The said organization explained in a statement that “considering the health risk (life-threatening), the complex and artificial technical aspects (misuse of technical and therapeutic methods to artificially create physiological changes) and the current anti-doping code in the world, the MPCC can only strongly advise against using this method… until it was banned.”
in the past Tour de France The use of carbon monoxide breathing techniques by leading teams, such as UAE and Visma, has been discussed, causing distrust in some sectors.
When asked about it, runners like it Pogacar and Vingegaard defend the methodemphasizing its role in evaluating training efficiency rather than performance improvement.
The French cyclist Romain Bardet expressed concern about carbon monoxide inhalation practices and specified the “arms race” among teams for having the most advanced mechanisms to increase performance
Carbon monoxide, potentially fatal
“Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas resulting from the incomplete combustion of carbon, which inhalation of high doses is fatal, but at very low doses it is a physiological signal that modulates processes such as inflammation and oxidative stress. It is a gas that is present in the atmosphere, we live with it,” Iker García began by explaining to EFE.
According to the specialist, “carbon monoxide has a relationship with hemoglobin that is 200 times greater than oxygen. Because of this It is used in some medical tests at very low doses to measure health parameters such as lung diffusion and total hemoglobin”.
However, under uncontrolled conditions, hemoglobin in red blood cells will bind to carbon monoxide before oxygen, which can be life-threatening.
A procedure with risks and benefits
“In the world of sports, the use of low doses of carbon monoxide is common to measure hemoglobin values, the protein responsible for carrying oxygen in the blood, and anyone who is capable. Use this altitude training skill to check improvements“Garcia Alday clarified.
According to the expert, in the last five years there have been several studies published that describe that inhaling low doses of carbon monoxide (about 1 percent of the air they breathe) repeatedly, during a 10-minute session , between one and five times a daycan improve hemoglobin values by 5%, at the same concentration level at altitude.
If inhalation is carried out once a day before training, when monoxide binds to hemoglobin, oxygen transport decreases. “It’s a signal similar to hypoxia” from altitudedetailed the specialist, who added that “This causes the kidneys to secrete the hormone EPO, which increases the number of red blood cells in the blood.”
In other words, the main danger is its poor use neurological effectsbut moderate doses increase cardiovascular stress and heart rate, cause nausea or vomiting, and higher doses can cause fatal poisoning.
The benefits to be reviewed deal with “increasing hemoglobin for bring more oxygen to the muscles and thus improve aerobic performance”.
García Alday recalled the precedent of using noble gases such as argon and xenonused in 2014 and then banned by LOVE. “Now the concentration is lower, but it has risks. “The line between doping and technological improvements is shrinking.”
It should be noted that the use of carbon monoxide “it has no advantage over the whole competition”because the gas has a half-life of about 12 hours and it reduces the ability to carry oxygen to the muscles. The reported benefits are comparable to training at altitude.
Inhaling 10 minutes a day is equivalent to 3 weeks at altitude
From a sports preparation perspective, inhaling carbon monoxide for 10 minutes once a day for three weeks seems to do something like a concentration in the Sierra Nevada another three weeks, also with the benefits of not having to move or be away from family.
“Inhalation of carbon monoxide can extend or even replace the benefits of altitude training. “Creating artificial hypoxia by inhalation of sufficient doses mimics the effects of altitude exercise.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
