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Published on: April 18, 2019
IGF-I abuse in sport.
Nishan Guha1, Alexander Dashwood, Nicholas J Thomas
1Endocrinology and Metabolism Sub-Division, Developmental Origins of Adult Health and Disease Division, School of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK. n.guha@soton.ac.uk
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
|May 7, 2010
Summary
Athletes may abuse insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) for performance enhancement, but its prevalence and effects are unclear. Detecting IGF-I abuse is challenging, though new methods analyzing GH and IGF-I action markers show promise.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Endocrinology
- Anti-Doping Research
Background:
- Growth hormone (GH) abuse is common among athletes for anabolic and lipolytic benefits.
- Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), a mediator of GH effects, is also a prohibited substance.
- The prevalence and performance-enhancing effects of exogenous IGF-I abuse in athletes remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential for IGF-I abuse in sports.
- To highlight the challenges in detecting IGF-I abuse.
- To discuss emerging methods for identifying IGF-I misuse.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on GH and IGF-I.
- Discussion of physiological effects of IGF-I on metabolism.
- Exploration of current and developing anti-doping detection strategies.
Main Results:
- IGF-I impacts carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism, potentially benefiting athletes.
- No studies definitively prove IGF-I enhances physical performance in healthy individuals.
- Pharmaceutical availability of IGF-I may increase abuse, with unknown long-term adverse effects.
Conclusions:
- Detecting exogenous IGF-I abuse is difficult due to similarities with endogenous IGF-I.
- Measuring markers of GH and IGF-I action is a promising strategy for detection.
- This approach has succeeded against GH abuse and may be adapted for IGF-I detection.
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