
Originally Posted by
Times Roman
Not much... so I did some reading....
(from Wiki)
Erythropoietin, or its alternatives erythropoetin or erithropoyetin (pronounced /ɨˌrɪθrɵˈpɔɪ.ɨtɨn/, /ɨˌrɪθrɵˈpɔɪtən/, or /ɨˌriːθrɵ-/) or EPO, is a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production. It is a cytokine for erythrocyte (red blood cell) precursors in the bone marrow.
Also called hematopoietin or hemopoietin, it is produced by the peritubular capillary endothelial cells in the kidney and liver, it is the hormone that regulates red blood cell production. It also has other known biological functions. For example, erythropoietin plays an important role in the brain's response to neuronal injury.[1] EPO is also involved in the wound healing process.[2]
When exogenous EPO is used as a performance-enhancing drug, it is classified as an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA). Exogenous EPO can often be detected in blood, due to slight difference from the endogenous protein, for example in features of posttranslational modification.
Blood doping
ESAs have a history of usage as a blood doping agent in endurance sports such as cycling, rowing, distance running, race walking, cross country skiing, biathlon, triathlons, and, most recently, billiards.[17]
Though EPO was believed to be widely used in the 1990s in certain sports, there was no way to directly test for it until in 2000 when a test developed by scientists at the French national anti-doping laboratory (LNDD) and endorsed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was introduced to detect pharmaceutical EPO by distinguishing it from the nearly-identical natural hormone normally present in an athlete’s urine.
In 2002, at the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Don Catlin, MD, the founder and then-director of the UCLA Olympic Analytical Lab, reported darbepoetin alfa, a form of erythropoietin, for the first time in sports.[18]
In 2010, Floyd Landis admitted using performance-enhancing drugs, including EPO, throughout the majority of his career as a professional rider.[19]
Since 2002, EPO tests done by U.S. sports authorities have consisted of only a urine or “direct” test. From 2000–2006, EPO tests at the Olympics were conducted on both blood and urine.[20][21]
I read several websites, nothing about weight gain. But there is a screen for it and could test positive for it if it is checked for a fight.