For many athletes, winning literally means everything; they are willing to do anything to get to the top of their sport, CrossFit® included.
Indeed, in this discipline more and more athletes are suspended for using banned substances and performance-enhancing drugs, which increase physical and muscular capacity.
In recent years, especially in 2022, many crossfitters have ended up on the blacklist for failing anti-doping controls in official CrossFit competitions, according to the Drug Free Sports, the drug testing company of the NFL, NBA and MLB.
Among numerous banned substances, one of the most common being ostarine, a male sex hormone; let's find out what this substance is and how it acts on the body.
What is Ostarine?
THEostarine, also known as MK-2866, is a chemical compound being studied as a possible therapy for the treatment of muscle wasting and osteoporosis; although it has been studied for its potential beneficial effects for these conditions, ostarine has not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for medical use.
This substance is a androgen receptor agonist, which means it acts like a male sex hormone in the body; was used as supplement to increase mass and strength force muscle in people with chronic kidney disease and age-related loss of muscle tone.
However, it is feared that the use of ostarine can have serious side effects, such as changes in blood levels cholesterol and an increased level of risk of prostate cancer.
It is important to note that the use of ostarine without medical supervision is illegal in many countries.
Why is it used in CrossFit®?
Some of the potential effects”positive” of the ostarine are:
- Increased muscle mass: Ostarine helps to increase muscle mass in people with chronic kidney disease and age-related muscle wasting
- Improved physical performance: Ostarine may improve exercise performance in people with kidney disease and age-related muscle wasting
- Reduction of bone loss: this supplement may help reduce bone loss in people with osteoporosis.
These effects”positive” tested on people with kidney disease, muscle wasting due to age or medical conditions and osteoporosis, could also apply to athletes without apparent physical problems, that's why it is often used, illegally, to improve physical performance in competitions.
What are the side effects and damages?
Ostarine can have very serious side effects, such as altered cholesterol levels and increased risk of prostate cancer; in addition, prolonged use of ostarine canIt can lead to suppression of natural testosterone productionresulting in long-term health problems.
Also, ostarinehas not been approved by the FDA for medical use, which implies that it has not undergone rigorous testing to determine its safety and effectiveness.
We remember that this substance is illegal in many countries, without the supervision and prescription of a doctor in the presence of overt pathologies, therefore, its use is very dangerous.
Which CrossFit® athletes have been suspended for using ostarine?
- Taylor Streid – 2022
- Nicolas Joyal – 2022
- Benjamin Wadham – 2022
- Stephen Wallace – 2022
- Larissa Cunha - 2021
- Janelle Stites - 2019
- Robbie Perovich – 2019
- Katie Trombetta - 2019
- Hinrik Ingi Oskarsson – 2019
- Lauren Shawver – 2018
- Andre Sanches – 2018
- Shawn Ramirez – 2018
- Nick Thomas – 2017
- Jose Sarda – 2017
- Richard Bohlken – 2015