Perspectives in the Utilisation of Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy of Serum in Sports Medicine

Doping prevention is mainly directed to providing information on the dangers of doping to young athletes and to every profession concerned with athletic performance. Unfortunately, repression is also necessary in the fight against doping. Measurement of performance-enhancing drugs is complex, partly because of the large number of prohibited substances. A number of sophisticated analytical techniques are increasingly being used to provide the maximum detection time window. However, the effectiveness of methods to separate exogenous from endogenous biological molecules and the cost of antidoping analyses makes controls invalid or impossible. Moreover, most athletes, because of the metabolic and psychological stresses caused, legitimately refuse blood testing. It is becoming crucial to introduce new methods in the form of longitudinal health monitoring, since this is probably the most effective tool to prevent the use of doping agents when athletes become overtrained and/or overstressed.