IS SALBUTAMOL ERGOGENIC?: THE EFFECTS OF SALBUTAMOL ON PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE NONASTHMATIC ATHLETES

Salbutamol and other β2 agonists are very widely used bronchodilators for the prevention and reversal of symptoms of exercise-induced asthma. Currently, the Olympic Medical Commission permits asthmatics the use of these medications in international sport if taken in the aerosol form. However, a recent study has brought these medications, particularly salbutamol, under scrutiny because of a claim that they may be ergogenic and should be banned from competitive events. Such a ruling would virtually eliminate asthmatics from competition. Our study examined the effects of inhalation of salbutamol, a placebo, and no treatment on selected measures of physical performance, work capacity, and lung function to determine any ergogenic outcomes. The treatments were randomly applied in a double-blind manner under controlled environmental conditions. Seventeen (16 men, 1 woman) high-performance endurance runners aged 17–29 years with no history of asthma, confirmed by a histamine challenge, participated in the study. The variables measured were maximal oxygen uptake and time to volitional exhaustion during a multistage continuous treadmill test, postexercise blood lactate levels, a 10− and a 30-s all-out sprint on a bicycle ergometer to indicate alactic ability, and lactic anaerobic capacity by recording the work in J and J/kg and peak power in W and W/kg. In addition, premedication, postmedication/pre-exercise, and five postexercise lung function tests were performed at 5 min intervals for 20 min. The parameters measured included FEV1, FVC, FEV1%, PEFR, and FEF25–75° Pre- and posttreatment MVV, Tv, VC, IRC, and ERC were also measured. The results indicated that there were no significant differences following the three different treatments when examining any of the physical performance variables measured. We concluded that no ergogenic effects were attributable to salbutamol, which should therefore remain a legitimate drug for the management of athletes with asthma parti ipating in international sporting events.