title: Effects of glycerol and creatine hyperhydration on doping-relevant blood parameters.
abstract: Glycerol is prohibited as an ergogenic aid by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) due to the potential for its plasma expansion properties to have masking effects. However, the scientific basis of the inclusion of Gly as a "masking agent" remains inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a hyperhydrating supplement containing Gly on doping-relevant blood parameters. Nine trained males ingested a hyperhydrating mixture twice per day for 7 days containing 1.0 g·kg(-1) body mass (BM) of Gly, 10.0 g of creatine and 75.0 g of glucose. Blood samples were collected and total hemoglobin (Hb) mass determined using the optimized carbon monoxide (CO) rebreathing method pre- and post-supplementation. BM and total body water (TBW) increased significantly following supplementation by 1.1 ± 1.2 and 1.0 ± 1.2 L (BM, P < 0.01; TBW, P <0.01), respectively. This hyperhydration did not significantly alter plasma volume or any of the doping-relevant blood parameters (e.g., hematocrit, Hb, reticulocytes and total Hb-mass) even when Gly was clearly detectable in urine samples. In conclusion, this study shows that supplementation with hyperhydrating solution containing Gly for 7 days does not significantly alter doping-relevant blood parameters.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cardiovascular & Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK. t.polyviou.1@research.gla.ac.uk
authors.forename: Thelma P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Polyviou
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Easton
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beis
authors.forename: Dalia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Malkova
authors.forename: Pantazis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Takas
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hambly
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Speakman
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koehler
authors.forename: Yannis P
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Pitsiladis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000378:metabolism; D003401:Creatine / Q000097:blood* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000652:urine; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004300:Doping in Sports; D005990:Glycerol / Q000097:blood* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006400:Hematocrit; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012156:Reticulocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D003401:Creatine; D005990:Glycerol
keywords: creatine; doping markers; glycerol; hyperhydration; masking agent