Xenon Gas As A Performance-Enhancing Drug PDF

Xenon gas as a performance-enhancing drug: doping or just hot air?
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Photography by Wikimedia Commons

Xenon gas as a performance-enhancing drug: doping or just
hot air?
by Dr Ben Koh & Matt de Neef

Last month The Economist published an article suggesting that Russian athletes have
http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

Xenon gas as a performance-enhancing drug: doping or just hot air? | CyclingTips
been using xenon gas as a performance-enhancing substances for a decade or more.

While the practice is not specifically banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency
(WADA) it does raise questions about what constitutes doping and what practices
should and shouldn’t be allowed. CyclingTips Editor Matt de Neef and anti-doping
expert Dr Ben Koh investigate.
The question of what constitutes doping and what doesn’t is not easily answered and WADA has been far
from consistent on the matter. For example, the use of caffeine has been shown to improve athlete
performance and was banned by WADA previously but is now no longer considered a banned substance.
Paracetamol and various anti-inflammatory painkiller medications are also known to be abused by athletes
to help improve performance, but these too are not banned.
Similarly, the issue of whether xenon gas — a naturally occurring element in the air we breathe — should NEWS AND RACING · WOMEN’S CYCLING ·
be banned for use by athletes is far from simple. But before we consider the ethical implications of
xenon’s use for performance enhancement, we must first ask the question: what is xenon and how does it
improve performance?
WHAT IS XENON GAS?
Xenon is a so-called “noble gas”, an element found on the far right of the periodic table which prefers not
to react with other elements. It was first discovered in 1898 and we now know that it makes up
0.0000087% of the earth’s atmosphere.
Pure xenon can be pulled out of the air by a process known as “fractional distillation”, whereby
components in air (e.g. oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide etc.) are separated and concentrated. The gas is
available through pharmaceutical channels and also through seemingly less-reputable online channels.
In addition to its use in lighting (see feature image), xenon gas has been used as an anaesthetic since the
1950s and is regarded as a near-perfect substance for the job, given it has no known side-effects or toxicity
issues.
This is in contrast to more widely used anaesthetic gases such as Halothane and Isoflurane which may
cause liver damage, abnormal heart rhythm issues and a range of other complications. Were it not for its
prohibitive cost xenon would likely be used as an anaesthetic more widely.
Rough Science: Inhale some Xenon

A form of xenon gas is also used for imaging the lungs and a range of other medical applications, including
protecting our internal organs from hypoxic injuries — that is, from the effects of limited oxygen in the
bloodstream. There are also suggestions that xenon might offer some assistance in slowing or combatting
the development of Parkinsons Disease.
But how does xenon gas help improve athletic performance? And is there a relationship between xenon and
the the body’s production of erythropoietin (EPO)?
XENON AND SPORTS PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT
Research suggests that breathing xenon boosts the body’s production of a protein known as HIF1 Alpha
(HIF1A). If you’d like to learn more about HIF1A and how it works you can read these articles we
published last year, but the simplified version is that HIF1A seems to act by stimulating the production of
other compounds in the body, including EPO.
As a quick reminder, EPO is a hormone that regulates the body’s production of red blood cells. Stimulate
the production of EPO and you get more red blood cells; get more red blood cells and you increase the
blood’s ability to transport oxygen around the body. An increased ability to transport oxygen may
theoretically lead to an increase in athletic performance, particularly when we’re talking about high
endurance sports such as competitive cycling. (Click here to read more about how EPO works).
While much research has been done on xenon gas and its use as an anaesthetic, little has been done on its
ability to improve athletic performance. But in Russia there are those that swear by xenon and its benefits
for endurance athletes.
XENON USE IN RUSSIA
On March 20, 2006, the president of the Russian Olympic Committee sent a letter to the director of the
ZAO Atom-Med Center thanking the researcher and his team for helping to “prepare” the Russian national
team for the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics (see image below). Of the 22 Russian athletes that won medals
at those Games, 15 had used a xenon-based mixture of gases as part of their preparation — a preparation
program that had been officially approved by the Russian government.

A presentation prepared in 2010 by the ZAO Atom-Med Center suggests that “xenon-based recovery
methodology will aid Russian athletes in London (2012) and Sochi (2014) Olympic Games”. Indeed,
there’s been plenty of speculation in recent weeks that Russia’s Winter Olympians used xenon in
preparation for the Sochi Games.
While Russian officials wouldn’t confirm whether such suspicions were true or not, they did say there
would be “nothing wrong” if the athletes were using xenon. Similarly, the ZAO Atom-Med Center — a
research facility with more than a decade’s experience in the use of gases such as xenon for performance
enhancement in elite sport — makes little attempt to hide the fact they’ve been using xenon to improve
athletes’ performance for years. In fact the company’s work in this area is celebrated.
BUT DOES XENON IMPROVE ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE?
The 2010 ZAO Atom-Med Center presentation mentioned above cites research which tested the athletic
performance of a number of professional athletes pre- and post-xenon use, including the use of placebos in
the case of some athletes. The research reportedly showed that MedXenon, a brand of xenon gas mixture
owned by the ZAO Atom-Med Center, works within just five minutes of application and has a lasting

effect of up to 80 hours.
While it’s difficult to assess how rigorous the research testing is in this case — particularly given the
product being tested is owned by the agency involved in manufacturing and selling it — the Russian
government both acknowledges the work being done at ZAO Atom-Med Center and has supported the use
of xenon for Russian athletes. Indeed, a document created in 2010 by the Russian State Research Institute
of the Ministry of Defence includes the following paragraph (translated from the original Russian) about
how best to administer xenon to athletes:
“
The inhalation can be administered as a single dose or over multiple doses (stages),
depending on duration of physical exertion. Inhalation performed over multiple stages
is found to be more effective. The effects of the inhalation are apparent over 48-72
hours following the procedure and diminish thereafter.
It is recommended that the inhalation procedure is performed two to three times over a
duration of seven to ten days. To increase the efficacy of the procedure, it is
recommended that the procedure be performed not less than 24 hours prior to the start
of the competition, two to three hours prior to going to bed.
A slide from the ZAO Atom-Med Center showing how xenon gas should be administered to athletes.
The document suggests that it takes between 45 seconds and three minutes to administer a two to three litre
mixture containing xenon gas at a concentration of between 30 and 60%. The concentration is dependant
on how the subject reacted previously to trial inhalations.
In researching this article the only other relevant study we could find was an article published in 2009 by a
team of British and Chinese researchers. The paper showed that mice who were given a mixture of gases
containing 70% xenon for two hours had double the amount of HIF1A and EPO in their system 24 hours
later.
For a start, this finding doesn’t mean the same result would be seen in healthy humans, and such studies on
athletes are never allowed to be conducted. Most EPO studies tend to be done on sick patients that need

EPO as a therapeutic medication, and the doses used in such clinical context tend to be far greater than is
allegedly used in sports such as cycling.
Secondly, the relationship between EPO levels (especially from external administration) in humans and
sports performance is as yet unresolved. Existing research has yet to exclude a placebo effect, especially in
the low doses that have reportedly been used in modern cycling. So even if the finding in the 2009 study
be replicated in humans, it’s unclear how this would affect sports performance.
THE USE OF XENON IN CYCLING
As mentioned, it’s unclear whether xenon gas can improve the performance of cyclists. But assuming that
EPO is able to create alleged performance miracles, there is no reason why xenon gas might not do the
same.
Besides, from what we understand about xenon gas and EPO, xenon gas would probably be a lot safer
(albeit a lot more expensive) to use. But there may be a very practical limitation to the use of xenon gas for
cycling — it is a little less cumbersome to carry a small pre-loaded syringe of EPO and not raise suspicion
than it is to be lugging around a huge canister of xenon gas.
Our research suggests that xenon use has only been reported in Russian athletes so far but it’s unclear
whether that includes Russian cyclists or not.
CyclingTips approached three Russian cyclists who have competed for their country at the Olympics in
recent years: Alexandr Kolobnev, bronze medalist in the road race at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing;
Mikhail Ignatiev, gold medalist in the points race at the 2004 Athens Olympics; and Evgeny Petrov, who
rode for Russia in the road race in Athens. We were told by press officers from the riders’ teams (Katusha
for the first two and Tinkoff-Saxo for Petrov) that the riders were not interested in responding to our
questions.
A paragraph on the website of MedXenon, the brand of xenon-gas mixture manufactured and sold by the ZAO
Atom-Med Center. This paragraph has been translated using Google Translate.
Last week Garmin-Sharp’s head physician Prentice Steffen told Cycling News that a team he once worked
for had considered giving xenon to riders but decided against it:
We looked into Xenon, honestly, but we had several concerns about it and we
ultimately decided not to use it. There’s really nothing good in terms of safety or
athletic enhancement and then you throw in the ethical considerations. I personally
feel that it crosses a line and that it’s unethical so we decided not to pursue it. We

“ were trying to think of what the up sides would be but it’s pure speculation because
there’s no research on it.
Little more is known about whether xenon is or has been used by cyclists.
THE LEGALITY AND ETHICS OF TAKING XENON
Artificially administering EPO or taking substances like HIF stabilisers might be banned by WADA, but
altitude training or hypoxic training tents have the same effect on EPO and are not banned. At this time
there is nothing in WADA’s anti-doping code that specifically bans the use of xenon by professional
athletes. But should there be?
Perhaps the case of another “grey area” substance, Insulin-like growth factor 1 (or IGF-1), could help us
understand the xenon conundrum.
IGF-1 is a protein that is found in cow’s milk and in deer antlers and is used in traditional medicines as a
tonic to improve the immunity. While cow’s milk and deer antlers are not banned per se, IGF-1 itself is.

A letter from the Russian government to ZAO Atom-Med Center giving official approval to xenon gas on
athletes.
Golfer Vijay Singh was recently embroiled with the PGA Tour (and WADA) on the issue of IGF-1 when
he admitted to using a “natural spray” made from deer antlers. Although Singh was initially suspended for
using a banned substance, the tour dropped its case against him, probably influenced by the fact it would
be difficult to determine how much of the IGF-1 in Singh’s system could have come from the deer antler
versus from the consumption of milk, a common beverage.
Like IGF-1, xenon gas is found in the natural environment. And given WADA has determined that IGF-1
should not be banned, should xenon gas be?
Section S-0 of WADA’s Prohibited List of Substances and Methods bans any substance that has not been
approved for human use. Given xenon gas has been used in the clinical context for decades, section S-0
presumably cannot be applied to ban xenon. The other possible part of the WADA List that could be used
to ban xenon is section M1-2 which prohibits the following:
Artificially enhancing the uptake, transport or delivery of oxygen, including, but not
limited to, perfluorochemicals, efaproxiral (RSR13) and modified haemoglobin
products (e.g. haemoglobin-based blood substitutes, microencapsulated haemoglobin
products), excluding supplemental oxygen.

“
Because xenon gas is not specifically listed, if section M1-2 of the prohibited list is to be invoked it would
be inconsistent to allow the use of altitude or “hypoxic” tents (which simulate high altitude to stimulate red
blood cell production). Also, the interpretation of such legal catchalls may be challenged at the Court of
Arbitration of Sport (CAS).
The German anti-doping agency recently lost a case on such grounds when the ban on UV-light blood
treatment — which some people believe makes EPO-doping harder to detect — was challenged at the
CAS. When the CAS case on UV-light and the IGF-1 case for Vijay Singh are taken into context, it
suggests two things.
Firstly, for WADA to successfully prosecute an anti-doping violation for xenon gas at CAS, CAS needs to
be “comfortably satisfied” that the procedure is scientifically proven to increase oxygen transfer. As
discussed above, the present scientific evidence about the effect of xenon gas on oxygen transfer is
tenuous at best.
Secondly, like IGF-1, xenon gas is ubiquitous (in the air around us), it is neither utilised nor produced by
the body, and it passes through cell membranes and freely exchanges between blood and tissue. Most of
the xenon gas that enters the circulation from a single breath is returned to the lungs and exhaled after a
single pass through the peripheral circulation.
The apparatus used to administer xenon to athletes, as featured in a 2010 document from the Russian State
Research Institute of the Ministry of Defence.
Drawing on the rationale used by WADA in determining the status of Vijay Singh and the deer antler IGF-
1 spray, WADA would thus have the burden of proof at the CAS to show that an athlete that has allegedly
used xenon gas has benefitted from it. That is assuming that the concentration of xenon gas can even be
detected in the athlete’s body in the first place.
CAN IT BE BANNED BY WADA?

So if xenon gas is not currently listed under sections S-0 or M1-2 in WADA’s List, should it be included
on the prohibited list as a specific substance and/or method? In order for xenon gas to be included, WADA
should (in theory) show that Xenon gas fulfils two out of three of the following criteria:
1. It has adverse health effects

2. It has performance enhancing effects

3. It is against the spirit of sport.
Given xenon gas is shown to be organ-protective, given it has a very good safety profile, and given it’s
touted to be the new frontier in Parkinsons treatment, any potential adverse health effects may be low
compared to its beneficial effects. And whether xenon gas has performance-enhancing effects is still very
much unresolved. Then again, that has never stopped WADA from including substances based only on
their potential to improve performance. Take the previous bans on therapeutic asthma medications, for
example.
But is it against the spirit of sport criterion? If hypoxic tents are not banned by WADA and xenon gas may
potentially work via the same physiological mechanism, then saying xenon gas use is against the spirit of
sport would reasonably be viewed as inconsistent.
Either way, WADA is certainly now aware of the use of xenon and the conundrum it poses for anti-doping
efforts. Former WADA president Dick Pound has been unequivocal in his interpretation of xenon use by
elite athletes: “Let us realise without doubt that this is doping and it is impossible to say in this process
that the rules are not clear.”
Meanwhile current WADA president Craig Reedie has said that the xenon issue will be addressed in the
next WADA meeting. We look forward to seeing what they decide.
The authors would like to say a big “thank you” to Vladimir Tsyrlin for his invaluable assistance in
translating documents from Russian to English for us.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr Ben Koh is a sports doctor with a doctorate on medical risk stratification in the context of the
use of conventional, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in elite level sports. His
research also focuses on the legal implications and how the guidelines under the WADA code may
be confusing to athletes in the field, and how inadvertent doping risk is higher than acknowledged
in the literature. Dr Koh also has a post-graduate degree in psychology and is pursuing a degree in
law.
Dr Koh was previously an elite level athlete and has been offered numerous sports scholarships.
Although trained initially as an orthopaedic surgeon, his subsequent experience in emergency
medicine and sports medicine coupled with his cultural background and exposure to CAM
provided him with the tools to pursue his research passion in an area where elite level sport,
medical risks, use of allopathic medicine and CAM intersect.
Matt de Neef is the editor of CyclingTips. You can read more about Matt and his background here.
FURTHER READING:
Breathe it in – The Economist

Xenon doping: too good to be true – Vazel Blog, Le Monde (in French)

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Tags: doping, Science, WADA, xenon

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runrider
•
3 years ago
Given that there is already so much research about this gas, its a safe bet that it is already
being used in the peloton. This stuff will be impossible to test for by the sound of it, so why
bother spending money testing for it? Like EPO, by the time a test is found they have already
moved on to the next drug.
I have had enough of the cheating in cycling at this stage & this is cheating, let them use it!
Make bottle cage holders for the gas tank to fit on a bike frame & they can take a few puff's
during races to keep the supply up, extra space for sponsors logos. We might even find a
novel way to use some of the gas to propel them over the cols like a turbo booster. How close
are we getting to having a sport with 75cc engines fitted to the bikes? Two-stroke style.
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Sean
> runrider
•
3 years ago
Dude, engines fitted to the bikes is going to far!
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Dave
•
3 years ago
Great article. Super informative.

7
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Matt de Neef
Mod
> Dave
•
3 years ago
Thanks! It was a lot of fun to put together with Dr Ben Koh.

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LanternRouge
•
3 years ago
...lol, runrider, well said! Maybe Sky have a few inert skeletons in their closet!!
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Wade Wallace
Mod
•
3 years ago
I think the real question to be considered is: Should Xenon be illegal or legal under the WADA

code? If it's deemed to be illegal, then altitude tents should be as well (the are in Italy, but not
elsewhere). An interesting dilemma with no easy answer.
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jules
> Wade Wallace
•
3 years ago
i don't like the 'against the spirit of the sport' criterion for banning substances. at a
minimum, interpretation of this clause needs to be clarified. if it's not harmful to health -
then what's the problem? is flying a rider by chopper to his hotel also an unfair
advantage?
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muz
> Wade Wallace
•
3 years ago
I disagree with that theory CT. "altitude tents' are available to anyone who wants to go
and climb a mountain, train on the altiplano in Spain, spend a month in Nepal/Tenerife
etc etc.
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Wade Wallace
Mod
> muz
•
3 years ago
I agree. That's where this gets really grey. The reason altitude tents are not
illegal is because they are deemed to be safe. The body has natural checks
and balances so that adaptations are done slowly and safely. But the effect is
the same - red blood cell production is increased. Xenon is also deemed to be
safe and has the same desired effect. But neither is very natural (I've slept in an
altitude tent and I can attest to that!). Of course there is no way to get the
concentration of Xenon into the body naturally, but you can go and live at
altitude which is perfectly natural. So perhaps ban altitude tents but not altitude
training? But what about the advantage those who live at high altitude? No
clear answer...
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jules
> Wade Wallace
•
3 years ago
general rule in regulation making - what would happen if you didn't

regulate something? if the answer is "nothing terrible" then that's usually
the best option. clearly that's not the answer for EPO or blood doping, so
banning those is defensible, but for all this other arbitrary stuff that
doesn't harm human health... why bother?
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Wade Wallace
Mod
> jules
•
3 years ago
Interesting view. And probably the best in this case. From my

understanding, the overwhelming message of the WADA code is to
protect the health of the athletes and to make sure competition is fair. In
this case: safe yes, fair - questionable.
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Ulrich Läderhosen
> Wade Wallace
•
3 years ago
It's been banned in Norway since 2002.
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Wade Wallace
Mod
> Ulrich Läderhosen
•
3 years ago
Xenon has been banned in Norway? Or altitude tents?
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Ulrich Läderhosen
> Wade Wallace
•
3 years ago
Altitude tents. That's what you meant, right?
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ed- sydney
•
3 years ago
that russian dude in the yellow shirt lying down looks like Jaws from the Bond movie
"Moonraker". His body looks massive compared ot his head.
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Dave
> ed- sydney
•
3 years ago
If he was a ranga you'd hardly be blamed for thinking he looks a lot like Chris Hoy.
Except of course that we know *British* cyclists would *never* take performance
enhancing substances. Nooooooooo way, not the British.
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Sean
> Dave
•
3 years ago
Dave, as we all know, you're someone I look up to and aspire to emulate. Dave,
I was wondering if you think I should take some of this fancy sarin gas and
boost up for the weekends club crits?
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Dave
> Sean
•
3 years ago
I'd suggest baked beans actually - for a rocket boost and to blow off any
cowardly wheelsuckers tagging along.
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Ian
> Dave
•
3 years ago
Get the chip off your shoulder - get hold of Racing through the dark by David
Millar for a Briitish rider's very candid description of his doping.
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Fashion Police
•
3 years ago
I'd like to know if I should go tubeless, or if 3/4 bib shorts are still fashionable? I hate being in
the 99%.
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donncha
•
3 years ago

I think it's important to remember that if it really does artificially inflate your EPO, it will be
picked up by the biopassport regardless of whether the Xenon is banned or not. More
interesting to me is whether athletes who get pinged by the biopassport can now claim to have
been using Xenon and get off with a free pass.
Having said that, I don't think Xenon is the same as an altitude tent. An altitude tent merely
allows you to mimic a natural environment, your own bit of altitude at sea level. I'm not aware
of any natural location where you can go to inhale Xenon, ergo you are "artificially enhancing"
O2 uptake.
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jules
> donncha
•
3 years ago
i like the phrase 'eating is cheating'. doesn't eating artificially enhance your
performance? of course eating is a routine, accepted activity, while inhaling xenon
isn't. but you quickly move into subjective, arbitrary assessment territory.
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Wade Wallace
Mod
> jules
•
3 years ago
Training also artificially enhances performance. It should be banned. That would

level the playing field.
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Steel
> Wade Wallace
•
3 years ago
I've often thought about this for the work place. No hard work, or staying
back. It creates an artificial environment where nuff nuffs get promoted
(ahead of me).
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Sean
> Steel
•
3 years ago
That sounds just like the university I work at :-) mind boggles sometimes.
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jules
> Steel
•
3 years ago
they did an experiment on that. it's called the construction industry :)
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Dave
> jules
•
3 years ago
I was thinking more of local government, but close enough.
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Sean
> Wade Wallace
•
3 years ago
Its a slippery slope.
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donncha
> Wade Wallace
•
3 years ago
Sorry CP, that doesn't make sense. There's a vast difference between
refining and inhaling an inert gas that has nothing to do with your
chosen sport, and practising that sport/eating food.
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jules
> donncha
•
3 years ago
which is defined... how?
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Wade Wallace
Mod
> donncha
•
3 years ago
I'm being facetious of course.

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Monsieur Pi Pi
> Wade Wallace
•
3 years ago
I like how facetious contains all the vowels in order.

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Wade Wallace
Mod
> Monsieur Pi Pi
•
3 years ago
very perceptive!
Honorificabilitudinitatibus is a pretty cool word with its vowels as well.
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Luke
•
3 years ago
'between 45 seconds and three minutes to administer a two to three litre mixture' seems to be
an 'accelerated' stress to cause the adaption, whereas a tent or training at altitude you
undergo that stress in real time. For me, that's a real difference. What about if an asthmatic
chooses to sleep or train whilst purposely not taking the prescribed medication?
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echidna_sg
> Luke
•
3 years ago
what if an asthmatic youth seeks a medical exemption to use an inhaler during races as
an adult when they haven't had any symptoms for years?
and yes, I've seen it!
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scottmanning
> echidna_sg
•
3 years ago
You don't need a TPE to use Ventolin (and others) at races. Search for it on the
lists (I have on ASADA) and you'll find (after calling them for more details) it's
only limited to something like 30 puffs per day.
I am asthmatic, and that is my only qualification for the following statement: I

doubt a normal person taking a bronchial steroid (ventolin) would gain any
effect. Their effect is to reverse constriction. If the lungs are not constructed (ie
healthy person) how can you unrestrict them further hence why they are not

banned.
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el bruka
•
3 years ago
http://www.wada-ama.org/Docume...
IGF-1is still banned
http://playtrue.wada-ama.org/n...
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Abdu
•
3 years ago
Funny you should mention golf, because it's a classic case of the old farts thinking "we couldn't
be drug cheats", etc. (mainly wasp types), like tennis. Yet, it's so riddled it might bring about
its own demise.
Golf was one of the last sports to test for doping, back in 2008 and doesn't do blood tests. 1
golfer has tested positive in 5 or so years, he sued and they dropped the case. VJ Singh
talked about his "deer antler" spray and was 'investigated' but again sued and got off.
It would be funny if not for the fact it is in the 2016 Olympics (?!) and the huge amount of cash
and sponsorship it takes off real sports. Beta Blockers, look them up. Drug of choice for pro
golfers. Legend of the game Gary Player said back in 2007 drugs were rife in the sport.
Don't get me started on tennis, and Serena Williams blatantly avoiding a drug test in her 'panic
room' and the ATP letting her off too...
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Ankush Agarwal
•
3 years ago
Now this is what I call sports writing. A big thank you to Matt and Ben. I'm sure this post will
clear all the ethical and topical doubts we had about xenon.
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caliente
•
3 years ago
Just going to leave this here... http://gph.is/XH3bxF
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Samaway
•
3 years ago
Hi, great article! Do you have a link or copy of the 2010 Russian State Research Institute
report you refer to? I'd love to learn more about the issue.
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STS
•
3 years ago
Many thanks guys for this great, insightful article !
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Robert Merkel
•
3 years ago

For me, it's a pretty open and shut case that it should be banned (with the obvious exception of
its traditional use as an anaesthetic).
I think the equivalence between altitude tents and xenon is a false one - though I think there's
a case for controlling those too. Altitude tents simulate what you'd breathe at altitude.
Nowhere on Earth can you huff xenon in significant quantities without artificial help.

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Xenon Gas As A Performance-Enhancing Drug PDF

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Xenon gas as a performance-enhancing drug: doping or just hot air?

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

been using xenon gas as a performance-enhancing substances for a decade or more.

WHAT IS XENON GAS?

Rough Science: Inhale some Xenon

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

XENON AND SPORTS PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT

XENON USE IN RUSSIA

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

BUT DOES XENON IMPROVE ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE?

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

THE USE OF XENON IN CYCLING

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

THE LEGALITY AND ETHICS OF TAKING XENON

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

CAN IT BE BANNED BY WADA?

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

1. It has adverse health effects

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Breathe it in – The Economist

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

Dude, engines fitted to the bikes is going to far!

Great article. Super informative.

Thanks! It was a lot of fun to put together with Dr Ben Koh.

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

general rule in regulation making - what would happen if you didn't

Interesting view. And probably the best in this case. From my

It's been banned in Norway since 2002.

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

Xenon has been banned in Norway? Or altitude tents?

Altitude tents. That's what you meant, right?

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

Training also artificially enhances performance. It should be banned. That would

they did an experiment on that. it's called the construction industry :)

I was thinking more of local government, but close enough.

Its a slippery slope.

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

which is defined... how?

I'm being facetious of course.

I like how facetious contains all the vowels in order.

Honorificabilitudinitatibus is a pretty cool word with its vowels as well.

and yes, I've seen it!

I am asthmatic, and that is my only qualification for the following statement: I

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

IGF-1is still banned

Just going to leave this here... http://gph.is/XH3bxF

Many thanks guys for this great, insightful article !

http://cyclingtips.com/2014/03/xenon-gas-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug-doping-or-just-hot-air/[06/10/2016 10:03:48 p. m.]

About Us Editorial Policy

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