Explainer: Lance Armstrong’s doping drugs

TORONTO – People around the world were glued to their television sets Thursday night as Lance Armstrong confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs to win seven Tour de France titles during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

“Yes,” Armstrong said when Winfrey asked him if he used a series of drugs to help his record run.

EPO, testosterone, corticosteriods and blood transfusions were on the list of drugs he admitted to using.

What he called “my cocktail” contained the steroid testosterone and the blood-booster EPO, “but not a lot,” Armstrong said.

Take a look at the drugs Armstrong admitted to using:

EPO:

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone that’s produced naturally by the human body. It’s released from the kidneys and acts on the bone marrow to stimulate red blood cell production.

Forcing EPO production in the body can be induced through injecting synthetic forms of the hormone, among other methods.

An increase in red blood cells improves the amount of oxygen being carried to the body’s muscles, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency. It was banned by WADA by the early 1990s.

Testosterone:

Testosterone is another natural hormone that’s produced by the body to assist in maintaining bone density, fat distribution, muscle strength and red blood cell production.

The “possibilities” of testosterone therapy are “enticing,” the Mayo Clinic explains in its description of the hormone, pointing to improved energy levels, sharpened memory and concentration and enhanced muscle mass as benefits.

Athletes generally use testosterone to “bulk up,” according to CNN.

Corticosteroids:

These medications – including cortisone, which Armstrong said he’d used – are typically used to help treat a variety of conditions, including rashes, lupus and asthma, according to the US National Library of Medicine.

These drugs are also used as a stress hormone, working to decrease inflammation from swelling and pain, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

But it can lead to a slew of side effects, such as mood swings, fluid retention, weight gain and thinning bones.

Blood transfusions:

Blood doping, according to WADA, is the misuse of techniques to increase one’s red blood cell count, helping the body to transport more oxygen to the muscles, increasing stamina and performance.

The most widely known types of blood doping including EPO use, when synthetic oxygen is carried to the body through blood transfusions.

– With files from the Associated Press