| Have you ever found difficulty riding in cold | | | | action shows that is reduces body fat by lipolysis |
| weather; your chest feeling so tight that you can | | | | and enhances muscle growth through protein |
| hear your lungs wheezing? How long does it take | | | | synthesis. Although it is not a steroid, its anabolic |
| for your body to warm up and your breathing to | | | | steroid-like effects place it on the banned |
| feel natural? Have you ever exercised at altitude | | | | substance list. Clenbuterol levels decay in the |
| for the first time and noticed that you can't ride | | | | human body by 50% every 36 hours (i.e., |
| as hard or as long? How many days does it take | | | | "half-life"), so the levels take a few weeks to |
| for you to acclimatize where you can workout | | | | become undetectable and its effects can be |
| like you do at sea level? These scenarios give you | | | | long-lasting. |
| a glimpse of what a person with asthma feels | | | | Historically, Clenbuterol's effect on increasing lean |
| before and after taking a prescribed inhaler to | | | | muscle mass was capitalized upon by many |
| treat their symptoms. Do you remember how | | | | countries that raised food-producing animals such |
| your body feels on that first ride of the Spring | | | | as cattle, sheep, and swine. While the drug |
| season, or after a long layoff? Your arms and | | | | produced few adverse effects to the animals, |
| torso feel unnatural on the handle bars and saddle, | | | | food poisoning has occurred in humans known to |
| and your legs feel heavy. Contrast that a few | | | | have ingested meat contaminated with high doses |
| months later when you are in midseason peak | | | | of Clenbuterol. Symptoms of nausea, headaches, |
| form. Your technique is smooth, your waist and | | | | tremors, palpitations, convulsions and even heart |
| hips are slim, and your quadriceps generate more | | | | attacks have been seen in these cases. Over the |
| power and show more definition. | | | | past two decades, outbreaks of food poisoning |
| If there was a super drug that could make you | | | | from Clenbuterol-tainted meat have been seen in |
| breath easier, workout longer and harder, trim | | | | Europe, the United States, and most recently in |
| your body fat, and enhance your muscles, would | | | | China. |
| you take it? Those are the effects of Clenbuterol | | | | Therein lies a dilemma in finding an athlete who |
| (street name, "Clen"), and athletes have been | | | | tests for abnormally high doses of Clenbuterol in |
| abusing it for years. It is banned by the World | | | | his urine test. Could the athlete have ingested |
| Anti-Doping Association, International Olympic | | | | tainted meat that caused his high sample levels? |
| Committee, and United Cycling International as an | | | | If so, one would think that the athlete would have |
| illegal performance enhancing drug. | | | | suffered the symptoms of food-poisoning. Also, |
| Clenbuterol is not approved for use by the United | | | | within a few weeks, his system would have been |
| States Food and Drug Administration, but is | | | | rid of the drug. Does food poisoning provide a |
| commonly prescribed in other countries to treat | | | | convenient alibi for the accused athlete, or is it the |
| asthma patients. It can also be purchased on the | | | | culprit of an innocent act? As with all alleged cases |
| internet in tablet, syrup, or injectable forms. Its | | | | of performance enhancing drug use, the governing |
| biochemical mechanism of action is as a | | | | sports bodies have a difficult responsibility in |
| beta-agonist that helps open up the airways, | | | | weighing the scientific origin of an abnormal test |
| similar to other common inhalers like Proventil. | | | | result. |
| Another effect through an unclear mechanism of | | | | |