Heat and carbon monoxide exposure: Is two better than one?

Abstract

A fundamental aim in the field of human physiology is to understand and delineate the limits of human function. In the realm of exercise physiology, sports and aerobic performance, the preceding decades have been marked by investigation into exogenous mechanisms of blood doping, exemplified by the administration of recombinant erythropoietin (EPO), erythropoiesis stimulating agents and whole blood transfusion. Yet, the line between such ‘artificial’ methods of blood doping and natural adaptation becomes blurred as we better understand how to manipulate haematological parameters through methodologies currently allowed by international sporting committees.