Xenon is an inert gas. But it’s quite lipid-soluble and can do interesting things in the body: it’s been used as an anaesthetic, and more recently as a performance-enhancer by some athletes.
Another Use for Xenon
Derek Lowe said:
March 21, 2014An Australian reader sends this along from The Economist. Apparently xenon has been used for several years now to enhance athletic performance – who knew? Well, athletes, for one – here’s an Australian cycling magazine talking about it, and Russian athletic federations have been recommending it for some time. That cycling article has a copy of a letter from the Russian Olympic committee, thanking a supplier for providing xenon to help prepare the team for the 2006 winter games in Turin.
One’s first impulse would be to snort and say “Snake oil!”, but one’s first impulse would probably be wrong. Xenon exposure is known to set off production of the protein Hif-1-alpha, which makes sense, given that “Hif” stands for “hypoxia-inducible-factor”. Increased levels are known to stimulate production of erythropoetin (a natural response to hypoxia, for sure), and xenon’s effect on this whole system (demonstrated in mice and in rat cell assays) seems to be unusually long-lasting. I’d speculate that that has to do with its lipid solubility; a good strong dose of xenon probably takes longer to clear out of the tissues than you might think.
But as the Australian article goes on to argue, correctly, we don’t have much reliable human data, on xenon’s effects on Hif-1A in humans, on the corresponding increase in EPO, and on whether those increases are enough to really affect performance. A placebo effect would need to be ruled out, at the very least. It’s also not a banned substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (and banning it might be tricky), so athletes competing with it are not in violation of any rules. Given that xenon is already of medical interest for preventing hypoxia-related injury, I’ll bet that it won’t be going away any time soon.
Xenon’s Use as a Sports Drug Is Banned
Derek Lowe said:
May 20, 2014Just a couple of months ago, I wrote about how xenon has been used as a performance-enhancing drug. Well, now it’s banned. But I’d guess that they’re going to have to look for its downstream effects, because detecting xenon itself, particularly a good while after exposure, is going to be a tall order. . .
Gas used by Russian Sochi 2014 medallists banned
Monday, 19 May 2014By Nick Butler
Xenon and Argon gas have been added to a list of banned substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), after a study found they artificially boosted performances.
The announcement, made at the conclusion of a WADA Executive Committee and Foundation Board meeting in Montreal, is the result of an investigation launched after claims Russian athletes had used the substances at Olympic Games from Athens 2004 to Sochi 2014.
The investigation found inhaling the gas encourages the production in the body of the hormone erythropoietin (EPO), which enhances formation of red blood cells to improve performance, so is particularly useful in endurance disciplines.
The WADA Executive Committee unanimously approved the ban, which will go into effect after a 90-day delay for national anti-doping organisations to implement the change.
As well as being banned, the substances will be added to the list of prohibited substances, meaning that athletes will not be allowed the substances in their possession.
Despite the lack of tests for xenon in an athlete’s system at the moment, unexplained increases in testosterone levels or discrepancies in a biological passport, suggesting usage of the product, will be punished.
“The message to any athlete is loaded and clear, it’s going onto the ban list,” said WADA President Sir Craig Reedie following the meeting.
“So if in doubt, do not.”
Also see the links to the Derek Lowe articles for readers’ comments.