Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Use of Doping Substances in Sport. Information and Availability on the Internet

Juan F. García
ORCID logo ,
Jesús Seco-Calvo
* ORCID logo ,
Soledad Arribalzaga
,
Raquel Díez
ORCID logo ,
Cristina López
ORCID logo ,
María Nélida Fernández-Martínez
ORCID logo ,
Juan J. García
ORCID logo ,
M. José Diez
ORCID logo ,
Raul De la Puente
,
Matilde Sierra
ORCID logo ,
Ana M. Sahagún
Version 1 : Received: 15 June 2023 / Approved: 15 June 2023 / Online: 15 June 2023 (14:47:44 CEST)

How to cite: García, J.F.; Seco-Calvo, J.; Arribalzaga, S.; Díez, R.; López, C.; Fernández-Martínez, M.N.; García, J.J.; Diez, M.J.; De la Puente, R.; Sierra, M.; Sahagún, A.M. Use of Doping Substances in Sport. Information and Availability on the Internet. Preprints 2023, 2023061158. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202306.1158.v1 García, J.F.; Seco-Calvo, J.; Arribalzaga, S.; Díez, R.; López, C.; Fernández-Martínez, M.N.; García, J.J.; Diez, M.J.; De la Puente, R.; Sierra, M.; Sahagún, A.M. Use of Doping Substances in Sport. Information and Availability on the Internet. Preprints 2023, 2023061158. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202306.1158.v1

Abstract

Dietary supplements are commonly used among athletes. The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) groups supplements into 4 categories, being group D considered by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as prohibited supplements. The online availability of four doping substances: oxandrolone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), androstenedione and Tribulus terrestris, purchased from Spain, Puerto Rico, Canada, USA, Ukraine and Russia was evaluated. The characteristics of the websites, the countries the webs sold to, the pharmaceutical forms offered and the recommendations for its use were analyzed by using a computer tool designed ad hoc. There were significant differences between countries in the number of webpages that sold the products (Chi-square test, p<0.05). Oxandrolone was available for purchase mainly in Spain (27.12%) and Ukraine (26.58%), coming from websites dedicated to sports (77.26%). For DHEA, most of the pages were located in Canada (23.34%) and Russia (21.44%). Tribulus terrestris was the compound with the highest number of web pages. In the case of androstenedione, none of the pages for its sale requested prescription. Products such as androstenedione or DHEA are claimed to enhance sports performance or for sports use without providing details. The results showed that a limited number of Internet sites request prescriptions. Most of the doping substances are purchased from the country where they are requested. Athletes should be encouraged to consult health professionals about which supplements are suitable for their type of training and sports objectives.

Keywords

doping substances; athletes; Internet availability; oxandrolone; dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA); androstenedione; Tribulus terrestris

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Medicine and Pharmacology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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