Monday 29 November 2010

Speculations about anabolic steroids follow death of 21 horses

Twenty one horses from a Venezuelan team competing at the US Open Polo Championship died after they collapsed prior to a match in Florida.
James Belden, the team veterinarian for Lechuza Caracas, said it was unlikely that the horses died because of a tainted medication or anabolic steroids as they are banned in England where the team competes.
"From the reports I've received, they came out of their trailers and they were dizzy ... and began toppling over," said Terence McElroy, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture. "It's my understanding that all of these horses have died, 21 in total."
McElroy said 15 of the horses had been transported to a state facility in Kissimmee, where necropsies and other tests would be conducted. There was no obvious indication of what had caused the horses to collapse, he said.
The polo club, located in Wellington, about 70 miles (113 km) north of Miami, confirmed in a statement that horses had died but did not cite a number. It said the cause of death had not been determined.
Some believe that the reason behind death of all horses could be the use of anabolic steroids.

Thursday 25 November 2010

Children's supplements ignored by researchers

Health researchers, while trying to get a snapshot of the nation’s nutritional habits, do not consider the fact that more than 3 out of 10 American children take dietary supplements, according to a new study.
The most common supplement was multivitamins, as per researchers from the federal government and RTI International, a research institute.
The highest use of supplements in children was by 4- to 8-year-olds. Just under half the children in that group took them.
Pediatric groups, the study noted, recommend that healthy children fill their nutritional needs by eating well, and limit supplements to situations when there is reason for concern.
But a look at the dietary habits of more than 10,000 children from birth to age 18 made it clear that supplement use was fairly widespread — a factor that could affect other research.
“To truly assess the nutrient status and estimate the potential health risks of U.S. children,” the researchers write, “we must include nutrient intakes from dietary supplements as well as from food.”
The findings were presented in an issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Saturday 20 November 2010

CSKA Moscow defenders fail drug tests

Sergei Ignashevich and Alexei Berezutsky of the CSKA Moscow have been handed over a suspension from a Group B Champions League match against Besiktas over a doping offence, according to a disclosure made by the Russian club and Uefa.
The defenders tested positive to a banned substance after the Champions League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
"Both players' A samples revealed the presence of a prohibited substance under the category 'S6. Stimulants' from the Wada [World Anti-Doping Agency] Prohibited List 2009," Uefa reported. The two players have been provisionally suspended until the case is heard by the European governing body's disciplinary committee on 17 December, the statement added.
CSKA said the pair had been the victims of a procedural error by the club's medical staff. "Our medical staff had made a technical error, failing to disclose cold medicine Sudafed during a doping test on 3 November in Manchester," the club said. The drug taken by Ignashevich and Berezutsky had not been on a banned list but still needed to be disclosed.
CSKA stands to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League only if they prove to be a better team than German champions Wolfsburg, who play Manchester United in the other Group B match.

Tuesday 16 November 2010

Shane Carwin received steroids

The UFC Heavyweight contender, Shane Carwin, has been named by a US prosecutor as one of the 22 athletes receiving steroids from a drug ring in Alabama.
Carwin last faced Brock Lesnar, the UFC Heavyweight Champion, in first round of the championship battle and lost after appearing all set to win.
From Helium.com:
It is believed Shane Carwin took steroids in 2006. Shane Carwin joined the UFC in 2007 and won all his fights until he lost in the UFC Heavyweight Championship fight (at UFC 116) vs. Brock Lesnar. Shane Carwin has never tested positive for steroids at a UFC event. However, this does not conclude he has never taken steroids while fighting in the UFC. This means Shane Carwin was never tested while he was on steroids.
What does this mean to UFC fans? As a fan, it is a shame to have UFC fighters linked to steroids. It is true there are steroid users in every sport, professional wrestling being the biggest culprit when it comes to steroid use. The UFC is supposed to be better than the WWE. Now there is a former WWE fighter as the UFC Heavyweight Champion in Brock Lesnar. Is there proof he never took steroids when he fought in the WWE? Many people believe all WWE fighters have taken steroids. It is part of the fake game of wrestling. Linking one of the superstars of the UFC to steroids could have horrible effects on the UFC. Some fans won't care, but the die-hard fans will. Who wants to pay for another venue pitting fake athletes (infested with steroids) up against each other?
The name of Carwin in a drug racket has once again highlighted the speculations that WWE and UFC fighters take steroids to stay on a high.

Thursday 11 November 2010

Growing popularity of counterfeit drugs a cause of concern

The production and sale of counterfeit drugs in rich and poor countries is a cause of great concerns, as per experts. The risk is higher than ever since more and more unwary consumers are buying these drugs over the Internet.
Manufacturers of counterfeit drugs put people at risk of harm from products that could include too little, too much, or the wrong active ingredient and/or contain toxic ingredients, according to Margaret Hamburg, head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
"Counterfeiting is growing in complexity, scale and geographic scope," she said in a speech to the annual ministerial meeting of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In wealthy countries, counterfeiting often involves "expensive hormones, steroids and anti-cancer medicines and pharmaceuticals related to lifestyle," a WHO report said.
But in developing countries, especially Africa, counterfeit medicines are commonly available to treat life-threatening conditions such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, it said.
Nigeria, referring to a case involving tainted teething syrup in Feb. 2009, said the consequences were often deadly.
"Only last year we lost 84 children in Nigeria due to fraudulent practices in some countries. It is lives we are talking about," Nigeria's delegate told the talks.
Research and development-based pharmaceutical companies have said that counterfeit medicines pose a danger to patients and they are not driven by commercial interest in fighting the scourge.

Thursday 4 November 2010

Chambers breaks 10-second barrier again

Dwain Chambers of Great Britain recently clocked a championship record 9.99 seconds to win the men's 100 meters at the European team championship in Bergen.
Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre with 10.02 and seconds and Italy's Emanuele Di Gregorio with 10.20 seconds occupied the second and third positions, respectively.
It was Chambers's best performance since he ran 9.99 at the 2001 world championships and was 0.02 seconds outside his personal best, set in Seville in 1999.
The 32-year-old was banned from athletics for two years in 2003 for testing positive for steroids. He returned to competition in 2006.
Chambers is expected to compete at the European championships in Barcelona in July.
At the end of the first day of in the team championship, Russia led Britain by 209 points to 188. The event concludes on Sunday.
The woes of Chambers related to use of steroids seem to have ended now for good and the star athlete is all set to prove critics wrong again.