Canadian Canoeing Star Fails Doping Test

   Ligandrol! Never heard of it!
Olympic hopeful in the canoe sprint event, Laurence Vincent-Lapointe, has tested positive for a prohibited substance called Ligandrol.  Vincent Lapointe is claiming that any ingestion of such a medication was inadvertent. Her Olympic participation may be in doubt.

Laurence Vincent-Lapointe in full flight.

   What exactly is Ligandrol?  A search of www.drugs .com  turned up nothing. That usually rules it out as an accepted and medically approved pharmaceutical, at least up to now. Ligandrol falls in the new realm of SARMs or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators. The original purpose was to treat muscle wasting diseases (such as AIDS) or for conditions such as osteoporosis. Supposedly they act like anabolic steroids but with fewer side effects. https://androbolics.com/product/ligandrol-lgd-4033/     This would make such a substance a beneficial tool in the treatment of certain diseases and medical conditions. It would also be a potential ergogenic aid for speed and power athletes!
   
   Laurence Vincent Lapointe is claiming that she may have taken food supplements that were tainted with the drug in question. An Australian Swimmer, Shayna Jack, also had a positive drug test for Ligandrol. She is also using the tainted supplement excuse. Athletes such as baseball player Jose Conseco who openly admit to using performance enhancing drugs (PED's) are rare. Professional bodybuilders are the exception, and they usually downplay the amounts that they use. Lance Armstrong was already cornered when he confessed to PED  use on the Oprah show.
   The usual excuses are sabotage, unscrupulous doctors, untrustworthy handlers or taking the wrong medication in error as with ephedrine boosted cold or allergy capsules. The newest excuses or explanations seem to be to blame tainted food supplements. 
   Is it just another excuse or could there be some validity to the tainted supplement claim?

• According to the Scientific American, 750 food supplements have been found to also contain traces of prescription drugs. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hundreds-of-dietary-supplements-are-tainted-with-prescription-drugs/
• Many tainted supplements contained steroids, steroid-like compounds or erectile dysfunction treatment compounds.
• Food supplements are not regulated as strictly as pharmaceutical drugs are.
• Some lesser known companies in nefarious regions of the world may be mixing different compounds in the same processing areas, increasing the risk of cross contamination.
• The supplement companies may knowingly add drug compounds to supposedly pure products to increase the effectiveness of the product.
• The supplement industry brings in billions of dollars yearly. This kind of money has been known to lead to greed and corruption!

    There is case to be made that some of these athletes made an honest mistake and are are not guilty of deliberate cheating. However, in the world of doping and sports it is easy to be skeptical!

 We have been lied to many times. The lesson to be learned is that a person must be cognizant of what they put in their body. This is important not just for the rules of fair play but also to protect your health. Some of these hidden substances may have worse side effects than increasing muscle strength!

Hopefully this doping case turns out to be one of inadvertent consumption.

Until Next Time,   Keep Fit

Little Bobby Strong

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