*Anemia is a medical condition with a number of causes.

This is an option to
investigate for your research projects.

Red BIood CeIIs

A.K.A. "Erythrocytes


Erythrocytes normally make up aImost haIf
of the bIood's voIume. These cells are filled
with hemogIobin, which enables them to
carry oxygen from the lungs and deliver it to
all body tissues. O
2
is consumed by the cells
to provide energy, leaving carbon dioxide as
a waste product. The CO
2
is then carried
away from the tissues and back to the lungs
by those same RBC's. As red blood cells
mature they lose their nucleus and are
unable to divide.
Red blood cells are formed in the bone marrow and have a relatively short Iife
span of approximately 120 days. The number of erythrocytes in the blood
determines the blood's capacity to carry oxygen. The blood's red color is due to the
iron ions in hemoglobin. Each human red blood cell contains approximately 270 million of
these hemoglobin biomolecules, each comprised of four heme groups. Hemoglobin
accounts for a third of the total cell volume. t is responsible for the transport of more than
98% of the oxygen (the remaining oxygen is carried dissolved in the blood plasma). The
red blood cells of an average adult human male store collectively about 2.5 grams of
iron, representing about 65% of the total iron contained in the body. Anemia is a
condition in which a person has a lowered oxygen carrying capacity.
*Anemia is a medical condition with a number of causes. This is an option to
investigate for your research projects.

BIood Doping

Endurance sports such as cycling or distance running put a significant
amount of stress on an athlete's entire system, from the lungs to the
bloodstream to the muscles. n order to maintain stamina, an athlete's
muscles require steady supplies of oxygen contained within red blood cells.
n theory, more red blood cells should give an athlete a natural edge during
competition. This questionable training philosophy is behind an illicit
practice called "blood doping," also known as "blood packing."
Blood doping involves harvesting an athlete's own blood before a
competition or finding a matching blood donor. This blood is usually
concentrated for red blood cells and frozen until it is reinjected shortly
before the event.
The belief behind blood doping is that the extra red blood cells will deliver
more oxygen and other essential elements to the athlete's muscle tissues,
which means more stamina and endurance. n a competitive sport such as
cycling, the difference between winning and losing can often be a matter of
better conditioning, not skill or strategy.
Standard blood doping fell out of favor after a number of scandals exposed
the practice to sport officials and sponsors.
A newer form of blood doping has largely replaced the straight blood
transfusion method, however. A growth hormone called erythropoietin
(EPO), which stimulates the body to produce erythrocytes, has become the
newest way to artificially inflate the number an athlete's red blood cells.

What advantage would blood doping give the athletes?
Explain your answer.

Why might blood doping be dangerous?