HGH test woo hoo!

[the big ring]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/howman-welcomes-hgh-test-talks-hamilton-and-uci

World Anti-Doping Agency director-general David Howman has welcomed a new test for human growth hormone. The test was approved by WADA prior to the Olympic Games and was used to catch two athletes at the recent Paralympics

Reminds me of the minnows they caught with the biological passport.

Given someone with a bit of money managed to get out of the first HGH test (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sinkewitz-cleared-of-hgh-doping-charges) I wonder if they were doing a couple of test cases on people with less liquidity.

Ok apologies for my cynicism, but seriously? There were people with testosterone in their systems DURING THE GAMES. There were paras with HGH in their system DURING THE GAMES.

And you're going to tell me none of the able bodied athletes had HGH?

It’s a significant step forward,” Howman said when discussing the finalisation of a human growth hormone test. Although still in its infancy, the ability to test for HGH is a major stepping stone in the fight against doping. Originally funded by the IOC in the late 90s, WADA took up leadership in the development of the test in the mid-2000s.

Can't wait to get Tyler's book...

Thought this was interesting, given it was back in 2004: http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/dope-testers-strike-adds-to-nerves-8785/

On Monday, research scientists poured cold water on Leblanc's hopes that human growth hormone (HGH) should be detectable for the first time at the 2004 Tour. According to Dr Cathy McHugh, one of the research scientists working to develop a test for HGH at the University of Southampton in England, a legally sound detection method is still "one to two years away". The UCI has stated that it could freeze blood samples from the Tour and perform tests for HGH as soon as a method is approved. The Southampton project is one of two funded by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) to be closing in on an HGH test, but has encountered problems in proving that its method is reliable for black and Asian, as well as Caucasian, subjects. "If the Tour de France doesn't have any black or Asian competitors then, theoretically, the test is ready to go," McHugh told procycling. "However, it is unlikely that any sporting authority will apply for that kind of conditional legal clearance. "The cycling authorities are probably talking about an HGH test pre-emptively, to scare HGH users off early and avoid an avalanche of positive tests later on," McHugh commented.

Leblanc sounds like a cool anti-doping dude.

My cynical mind sees, "Dr Cathy McHugh, one of the research scientists working to develop a test for HGH at the University of Southampton in England" and thinks, "Dr Conconi, one of the doctors working to develop a test for EPO at the University of Ferrara in Italy".

 

[TylerDurden1]

Its about time

 

[sniper]

The UCI has stated that it could freeze blood samples from the Tour and perform tests for HGH as soon as a method is approved.

lets hope the UCI puts deeds to words for once.
though i'd rather see WADA do the retrospective testing.

 

[sniper]

posted by the big ring: Can't wait to get Tyler's book...

why, is he talking about HGH?

 

[DirtyWorks]

Ok apologies for my cynicism, but seriously? There were people with testosterone in their systems DURING THE GAMES. There were paras with HGH in their system DURING THE GAMES.

And you're going to tell me none of the able bodied athletes had HGH?

If you approach the topic with the generally agreeing that the IOC is "anti-doping controversy" rather than "anti-doping" it makes much more sense.

Re-read the Sports Illustrated article on Wonderboy from a year or two ago. Buried in there is a *bunch* of damning evidence regarding how the IOC manages doping. I still find it interesting that there's really at least two stories in that article, one Armstrong, the other USOC/IOC.

The IOC is a big part of the problem inside many Olympic-recognized sports including cycling.

 

[DirtyWorks]

lets hope the UCI puts deeds to words for once.
though i'd rather see WADA do the retrospective testing.

Re-read that quote, the operative word is *could.* That doesn't mean they did. Even if they did, they aren't going to start positive procedures unless it's the guy in 98th place that's at the end of his career anyway.

They've got their hands full trying to hide whatever Wonderboy has on Hein and Pat.

 

[Willy_Voet]

Sweet. Would be funny if WADA showed up to a S. Florida Masters Crit and announced HGH testing.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Sweet. Would be funny if WADA showed up to a S. Florida Masters Crit and announced HGH testing.

Not a crit, but you might have missed this thread: http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=18524

 

[ElChingon]

Well even with the test who of those who test positive will be announced assuming they have paid their fee to the UCI?

 

[Willy_Voet]

Not a crit, but you might have missed this thread: http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=18524

Saw that thread...which gives me some hope something like this might actually happen down here. When a $6000 bike and $2000 wheels are not enough...

 

[burning]

It's a nice improvement I suppose

 

[Cookster15]

Great they have a test. But I guess the real test will be the motivation of authorities including the IOC to implement it.

Also, excuse my ignorance but how does HGH benefit road cycling and in particular GC riders ? I thought it would mainly benefit weight lifters, track sprinters (two legged and wheeled variety) etc. No doubt there is a recovery component but how much better is your recovery after a big mountain stage when boosted by HGH ?

 

[D-Queued]

I sure hope this test has had sufficient verification on actual samples from actual athletes in actual competition.

Does anyone know if there are any samples from the peloton that are in storage anywhere?

Just to be extra special careful on the validation against clean athletes in competition to eliminate the possibility of testing positive, are there any samples from past TdF testing in storage?

Surely, there must be at least 500 or even 600 non-AAF B samples somewhere.

Dave.

 

[KayLow]

Great they have a test. But I guess the real test will be the motivation of authorities including the IOC to implement it.

Also, excuse my ignorance but how does HGH benefit road cycling and in particular GC riders ? I thought it would mainly benefit weight lifters, track sprinters (two legged and wheeled variety) etc. No doubt there is a recovery component but how much better is your recovery after a big mountain stage when boosted by HGH ?

The effects of HGH on performance are hotly debated by athletes and scientists. Lots of athletes use and (quietly) swear by HGH and others (Tyler Hamilton being one) claim that HGH actually harms hinders performance.

One of the unique qualities of HGH is that promotes muscle cell hyperplasia (i.e. growth in number of cells). Anabolic steroids in combination with weight training mostly promote hypertrophy of muscle cells (i.e. increase in size of cells). To the extent that power is a function of cross-sectional area of the muscle tissue, hypertrophy would increase strength, whereas hyperplasia would not. This causes a lot of people to think that HGH does not increase strength. Yet athletes still use it for just that purpose. The truth is not known.

Another thing to consider is that HGH promotes water retention in muscle tissue. This may be good for those who workout for cosmetic reasons but is mostly counterproductive for athletes, especially endurance athletes. Tyler Hamilton describes feeling heavy in the legs when he was on HGH. While it is hard to know exactly why he felt this way, water retention is one possible reason. Moreover, studies of people with elevated HGH levels tend to show decreased performance in endurance events. Yet many endurance athletes still use HGH.

Recovery is another factor. As previously mentioned, HGH promotes cell division and cell count growth and so it can theoretically promote recovery from injury or hard workouts in which muscle cells are substantially damaged. There is no certainty, however, because muscle recovery is a poorly understood subject. Heck, until recently exercise physiologists believe that DOMS was caused by a build up of lactic acid. Athletes seem to believe that HGH does work reasonably well for recovery. The scientific community is divided on this point.

In the end, it appears that HGH produces a highly varied response in athletes. Unlike anabolic steroids, which are mostly upside with little downside if used appropriately for one's sport, HGH can help or hurt performance. Most of its theoretical benefits are in the area of "recovery" which is broad enough to make it appealing to endurance athletes and those who rely more on raw strength.

 

[Alex Simmons/RST]

One of the unique qualities of HGH is that promotes muscle cell hyperplasia (i.e. growth in number of cells). Anabolic steroids in combination with weight training mostly promote hypertrophy of muscle cells (i.e. increase in size of cells). To the extent that power is a function of cross-sectional area of the muscle tissue, hypertrophy would increase strength, whereas hyperplasia would not. This causes a lot of people to think that HGH does not increase strength. Yet athletes still use it for just that purpose. The truth is not known.

Since endurance cycling is not a strength sport, but an aerobic endurance sport, then the impact of (or lack of) HGH on strength is not the issue. It's its impact on the body's aerobic infrastructure that matters I'd have thought*.


* physiologically speaking for endurance cycling performance, not from a "is it really doping?" perspective, which is already well covered by The Code.

 

[BroDeal]

What was the deal with Patrik Sinkewitz, who the UCI said tested positive for HGH but was later cleared by the Germans?

Was that the same test?

 

[the big ring]

What was the deal with Patrik Sinkewitz, who the UCI said tested positive for HGH but was later cleared by the Germans?

Was that the same test?

Yes.

And the same test they had back in 2004, but had not tested on Asians and Africans.

They've now, apparently, tested it enough to make it provable.

 

[ramjambunath]

No, it's a new technique according to this.

http://www.insidethegames.biz/paral...pics-mark-major-breakthrough-for-dope-busters

Testing for it has been in place for every Olympics since Athens in 2004 but this new technique is much more sophisicated.

It does not detect HGH directly, but rather looks for an unnatural increase in two markers - insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and another substance, called P3NP, that is produced when bone or collagen is formed - that occurs after injection of HGH.

It is a major breakthrough because it demonstrates that pioneering scientists have developed a test which widens the detection window for the HGH from a few hours to a few weeks, which makes this new version one of the most important breakthroughs in the history of anti-doping.

The new test was only officially approved on the eve of the Olympics, where the only major competitor to be caught for drugs was Belarus' Nadzeya Ostapchuk, who was stripped of the gold medal she had won in the shot put after testing positive for anabolic steroids.

 

[MarkvW]

What was the deal with Patrik Sinkewitz, who the UCI said tested positive for HGH but was later cleared by the Germans?

Was that the same test?

Don't think it was the same test. Commentary about the recent test mentions the older test and says that the newer test can detect material that has been in the system longer.

No idea how far they can look back, though.

 

[ToreBear]

Don't think it was the same test. Commentary about the recent test mentions the older test and says that the newer test can detect material that has been in the system longer.

No idea how far they can look back, though.

According to the post above you it can now detect HGH a few weeks after intake. It was posted 4 minutes before you so you might not have had time to read it

 

[MarkvW]

According to the post above you it can now detect HGH a few weeks after intake. It was posted 4 minutes before you so you might not have had time to read it

Wow. That instantly makes HGH a very risky doping strategy. OOC testing

Lance's yellow jerseys should go to the scientists who devised that test!

 

[simo1733]

Maybe Lance can have his old samples tested to prove he never used HGH

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Wow. That instantly makes HGH a very risky doping strategy. OOC testing

Yes, if that's accurate it instantly shifts HGH from the "undetectable for most practical purposes" corner to the "death wish" corner as doping products go. If it really is detectable for weeks on end, it would very suddenly become out of bounds.

 

[2008885]

Surely we can tell HGH users from the shape of their jaw - or have I been misinformed?