This morning, the New York TImes Magazine Section published an article, Vigor Quest, which outlined various methods athletes use to enhance their performance, seemingly defying or at least delaying the effects of aging. Included were some which would be defined by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as illegal doping. A month ago, I promised a second part to my entry on doping, so here it is.
Let’s see, where did I leave things? Oh yes, “So in a world in which the rules are arbitrary, enforcement is almost random, and no moral hazard is associated with breaking the rules, what is an athlete to think of the anti-doping code?”
My own personal answer to this code is simple: I have two reasons for not wanting to “dope”. First, I want to win, and if doping puts me at risk for being disqualified, than I am no more willing to take the risk than I am to ride a bike with a tube which has already been patched – too much risk of losing time from a flat tire. This reason covers all items on the WADA list, including those which probably have no performance enhancing value.
My second is a more subtle, biological reason. Almost all substances which could make a difference are probably dangerous in one way or another. They are dangerous not in and of themselves, but because they induce a biological system to work harder or in a different way. Like all biological organisms, humans are intricately designed.
Here, I’d like to digress into the concept or organic design. Although I firmly believe in the concept and process of evolution, my comments on “design” would be equally applicable if humans were “intelligently designed” de novo. So, creationism and evolution would both lead me to the same conclusion.
After 35 years as a physician, I now understand that the human body, like all biologic systems, is very intricately designed to both function in homeostasis, and change over time. A 6 y/o is not like a 16 y/o is not like a 26 y/o. Those changes over time alter our homeostasis, causing things like wrinkles, grey hair, decreasing levels of hormones like testosterone and estrogen, and resultant effects on athletic performance. We tinker with those pre-programmed systems at our peril. As the article makes clear, give an older man HGH, and he will start making more testosterone. But it’s like boring out your cylinders – you go faster, but run out of fuel sooner and risk breaking the engine entirely. If your goal is to be as strong/fast as possible NOW, it may help. But if your goal is fitness for life – not so good.
A hypothetical question is raised: “Imagine that a miracle drug is discovered that guarantees vigor far beyond retirement age, but shortens your life by, say, four years. Is it worth the trade-off?” If only it were that simple. The actual question should be more like “Imagine that a miracle drug is discovered that guarantees vigor far beyond retirement age, but affects your life in the same way as cigarette smoking does. Is it worth the trade-off?” “Only” 1 out of 3 smokers dies prematurely of smoking related illness, but those who avoid cancer still expose themselves to all sorts of other ailments.
These practices are tempting – so tempting that World Triathlon Corporation this year is having everyone (AGer and Pro) who qualifies for Kona sign a release saying they agree to be tested for use of World Anti-Doping Authority proscribed agents. The assumption is, all of us are racing against people who are fiddling around with these effective, legal, and physician supervised, but self-abusive practices. The article notes that anyone with $10,000 – a not unreasonable figure for what an IM racer might spend on equipment, travel, coaching, and other triathlon related expenses in a year – can have access to this fountain of youth.
Since I qualified for Kona, I had to sign one of those forms, and thus began thinking in very concrete, personal terms about this question. For the record, the only supplements I take are Omega-3 caps and Glucosamine-Chondroitin Sulfate-MSM tablets. I won’t take any others, either because they won’t help, or they are proscribed.