More on clenbuterol and swimming

Mark Zeigler and the San Diego Union Tribune look at the use of clenbuterol in swimming today.

...Meet Jessica Hardy, the U.S. swimmer with a positive drug test.

The 21-year-old from Long Beach tested positive for Clenbuterol at the U.S. Olympic Trials on July 4 and now is frantically trying to clear herself in the 2 ½ weeks before her first event in Beijing. She made the team in three events: the 50-meter freestyle, the 100 breaststroke and the 400 relay.

Clenbuterol is listed under banned anabolic agents, which build muscle and hasten recovery. It also possesses stimulant qualities and is sometimes prescribed to asthma patients.

Another benefit: Some steroid experts claim that Clenbuterol, if taken orally, generally clears the body in four days – and perhaps less if smaller doses are ingested.

Victor Conte chimes in with his take on the drug:

“It has faster clearance than any of the anabolic steroids, and it's an anabolic substance,” BALCO doping guru Victor Conte said. “It will accelerate healing and tissue. It could also be used as a stimulant but would more likely be used between events to enhance recovery.”

A relatively unknown swimmer failing a drug test for a relatively unknown substance ordinarily would not make much of a splash. The problem for Hardy, though, is it happened just weeks before the Olympics and in a delicate political climate.

Hardy's coach at the Trojan Swim Club, Dave Salo, told the Orange County Register that he believes “inadvertent consumption of a banned substance” is the culprit, hinting it was in one of the numerous nutritional supplements that Hardy acknowledges taking. Hardy also was tested at the Trials three days before and two days after the July 4 test, and both of those reportedly came back negative.

Like most drugs, clenbuterol has complex actions.  The drug hangs around in meat animals, which alarms pharmacologists.  The drug is known as a 'repartitioning agent' which means it reduces fat and increases muscle in animals, thus the use for producing a better meat animal -- that also produces residues of the drug in the food supply.

Here is an important point: clenbuterol is NOT approved for use in the USA.  No US physician can prescribe the drug (with all the beta2-adrenergic drugs on the market, why would a doctor prescribe clen anyway?)

Clen will repartition your body composition to a great muscle % and less fat %, however the drug may be very deleterious to your heart.  That effect would be desirous for a sprint athlete.  Clen will also dilate the lung airways, again an advantage for the sprinter.  However, the health concerns and the illelga aspect should discourage underground use of the drug.  (underground reference on clen)

We are just learning about all kinds of drugs this Olympic season.  (and we do think we would be examining what Ms. Hardy ate during camp.)

 

Comments

[ECM]

I still don't get it: everything I've ever read about this drug says it doesn't do anything, anabolically, for humans.

Yes, it's great for burning fat, but has the science been revised to show that it has anabolic effects on humans--don't we lack the site receptor needed to make use of its muscle-building aspects?

And how illegal is this stuff? 'Go to prison' illegal? Or 'slap on the wrist' illegal?

[Scott Welch]

I'm afraid supplements are again going to get blamed for the positive test rightly or wrongly. Over the years, there have been a few shady OTC fat burners that were spiked with Clen but wouldn't an Olympic level coach warn her of this?