The risk of sports fans catching dengue fever during the Rio Olympics is very low, according to a new study involving mathematicians at the University of Strathclyde.
The list of substances that can mean the difference between winning and not winning is long, and includes everything from testosterone and anabolic steroids to red-cell boosters. But their effect on the body can be detrimental -- and even deadly.
With Zika sparking anxiety at the Summer Olympic Games in Brazil, and now being transmitted in Florida through contact with mosquitoes, accurately mapping the distribution of the virus is increasingly urgent.
Olympics officials already contending with the illegal use of steroids among athletes are now being proactive about a potential new trend in performance enhancement: gene doping. Although tests for this type of cheating won't be performed until after the Games, the results could still mean bad news for implicated athletes. An article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, explores how experts are planning to catch cheating athletes.
Back to school means back to sports – and the risk of injury that comes with them. “Being aware of the injury potential of your sport and proactively seeking ways to prevent such injuries is critical,” says Dr. Jennifer Beck, a pediatric sports medicine physician at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica.
The numbers are staggering – 36 competition and 20 training venues, six hotels, five media villages, one hospital, 306 events, 10,903 athletes, 3,200 referees and assistants, 45,000 volunteers, 25,100 accredited media, 7,000 National Olympic Committee delegates, 5,000 clinicians, 1,000 doctors…and one man responsible for it all.
Scientists have shown that people who exercise for even a few hours each week can enlarge their hearts. This is a normal and beneficial response to exercise, but until now has only been recognised in athletes. The researchers say that doctors should now consider an individual’s activity level before diagnosing common heart conditions.
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Zika isn’t the only health concern now that the games have begun in Rio. Massive crowds from around the globe will be at the Olympics, and that means a world-class array of germs will mix with them. Mayo Clinic infectious diseases expert Gregory Poland, M.D., offers several tips for avoiding illness when you are around lots of people, whether at the Olympics, a professional sports event, convention, concert or other major event.
Montmorency tart cherry juice may be a promising new recovery aid for soccer players following a game or intense practice. A new study published in Nutrients found Montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate aided recovery among eight semi-professional male soccer players following a test that simulated the physical and metabolic demands of a soccer game.
As the world awaits the start of the 2016 Summer Olympics, doping in athletes remains a hot topic. Christopher Mendias, Ph.D., A.T.C., explains why the World Anti-Doping Agency regulates certain substances, how that’s changing and how some of these drugs may help rehabilitate injuries in everyday and elite athletes alike.