Effects of Glycerol and Creatine Hyperhydration on Doping-Relevant Blood Parameters

Authors

Thelma P. Polyviou, University of GlasgowFollow
Chris Easton, Kingston University, UKFollow
Lukas Beis, University of GlasgowFollow
Dalia Malkova, University of GlasgowFollow
Pantazis Takas, University of GlasgowFollow
Cathertine Hambly, University of AberdeenFollow
John R. Speakman, University of AberdeenFollow
Karsten Koehler, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Yannis P. Pitsiladis, University of GlasgowFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2012

Citation

Nutrients 2012, 4, 1171-1186; doi:10.3390/nu4091171

Comments

© 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license

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.