edited by katie barnes. email:
katiebarnes@leisuremedia.com research round-up
Swiss scientists believe they’ve found a brain hormone that could encourage people to push themselves more when exercising
of red cells, which improves oxygen transportation to the muscles. It’s also known as a drug that some athletes allegedly inject regularly in small doses to enhance performance. The practice is not only illegal but dangerous, as EPO can thicken the blood and increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and clots. However, a new discovery has been
all in the mind T
he blood hormone erythropoietin (EPO) naturally occurs in the kidneys to boost the number
made by researchers from the University of Zurich in Switzerland. In an animal- based study, published in The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology* (FASEB) in June, they found that EPO has a more dramatic effect in the brain, where it can augment exercise performance – improved VO2 max and time to exhaustion – without raising the red blood count.
the test To make the discovery, Max Gassmann, a professor of veterinary physiology, and his colleagues used three groups of mice – all of similar age and bodyweight. The mice in one group were genetically
modified to produce human EPO solely in the brain. Another group were injected with a large dose (2,000 international units) of EPO so it crossed the blood- brain barrier, becoming a brain hormone. A third group of mice remained untreated, for control and comparison purposes. All animals then underwent a maximal
incremental exercise test, followed by a maximal constant load exercise test. Blood samples were taken before
and after exercise, while the levels of EPO in cerebral tissue and plasma was measured afterwards only.
The next step will be to test the performance-enhancing effect of EPO in humans
impact of cerebral epo The researchers found that mice which harboured human EPO in the brain – whether via genetic modification or injection – ran significantly faster and for longer than those in the control group. In both groups, this occurred independently of changes in hematologic (blood) or cardiovascular parameters. This suggests that EPO has a
motivational effect, rather than purely a physical one. “We assume that EPO in the brain triggers a motivation boost to increase physical performance,” says Gassmann. “Most probably EPO has a general effect on a person’s mood and might be used in patients suffering from depression and related diseases.” Indeed, recent studies by a group of
German-Danish researchers show that EPO can also help improve the mental performance of schizophrenia sufferers.
misleading reports Following the publication of Gassmann’s research, there has been much hype in the media that EPO could possibly be used in pill form to help motivate people to exercise more. The speculation is based on a quote
made by Gerald Weissmann, editor-in- chief of the FASEB journal, in response to the fi ndings: “If you can’t put exercise in a pill, then maybe you can put the motivation to exercise in a pill instead.” However, Gassmann told Health Club
Management: “We have not found a pill that motivates you to go to the gym as reports on the internet suggest. We [only] show that once exercising, the performance will be higher if EPO is present in the brain.” The next step is to test the
performance-enhancing effect of EPO in human volunteers.
*Gassmann et al. Acute and chronic elevation of erythropoietin in the brain improves exercise performance in mice without inducing erythropoiesis. The FASEB Journal. June 12 52 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital july 2012 © cybertrek 2012
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