With the Rio Olympics in full swing, athletes may be tempted to use performance-enhancing drugs to give them an extra edge over their competitors. The recent doping scandal involving the Chinese and Bulgarian athletes means that officials are now more watchful than ever, and athletes looking for a boost need to be careful not to toe the line.
Out of all the drugs officials are keeping an eye out for, stimulants rank second on the list. In 2014, they accounted for 15% of the positive tests recorded by the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA). One of the most well-known stimulants is caffeine, which isn’t banned in Olympic competitions but is on the WADA 2016 Monitoring Program.
Caffeine is contained not only in coffee, but in many other everyday items ranging from ice-cream to hair care products. This is why Dr. Wolff, German manufacturer of Alpecin Caffeine Shampoo carries a warning message for competitive athletes on every bottle.
With caffeine being so ubiquitous, how do athletes make sure they stay on the safe side? The attached infographic illustrates the use of caffeine in sports.
