A CHEATING SIRLOIN

Perhaps the most sports fans will remember the press conference that Alberto Contador gave on September 30, 2010 to explain the origin of clenbuterol that an anti-doping analysis had found in his body during the Tour de France . His explanation: the meat that was sapped the day before the test.

Where did clenbuterol come from?

Some were excused and others not. In the subsequent history, which is long and complex, various sports organizations, Spanish and international, the sports press, a butcher and even a private detective intervene. It was a question of discovering how this substance had reached the athlete's body, and to do so, one had to ask first : how did clenbuterol get into the sirloin? . This was what worried the butcher, the detective hired by the athlete to keep track of the allegedly contaminated meat, and, of course, the beef sector, who saw how, without eating or drinking it, their image was left by the floors. Once again.

This substance should not be present in the meat of a consumer animal becauseboth clenbuterol and other substances with a similar action (ß-agonists) are banned in the European Union , for use in fattening cattle, no less than since 1996. It can be used for veterinary treatments, but always under prescription.

Official veterinary services carry out routine checks on farms to prevent the illegal use of clenbuterol in fattening cattle, and in general to ensure that the farmer complies with the innumerable laws and decrees on animal production. This is extra work for bait farmers as they have to keep track of everything that happens on their farm.: the calves that come in and the yearlings that come out, the feed that is bought, from whom and when, what medicines have been used and who has prescribed them, when and for how long they have been administered ... or did you think that the farmers are immune to paperwork ?. But the control does not remain here, once the animals are slaughtered, they are also thoroughly examined in the slaughterhouse . If the veterinarian had any suspicion that drugs had been used illegally, further testing would be done, and if confirmed, the meat would be declared "unfit for human consumption." Everything is for food security and traceability.

Thus, based on monitoring and control, in Spain practically nobody uses clenbuterol anymore: it is expensive, easily detectable and dangerous . The problem is that although European regulations prohibit the use in animal feed of certain substances that can cause public health problems (hormones, thyrostatic agents, or clenbuterol), these are authorized in other countries and customs controls are not always as comprehensive as they should be. Could the cheating sirloin come from across the pond? Who knows.

And what is the problem with this substance?

Clenbuterol is used in human and veterinary medicine mainly as a bronchodilator, that is, to promote breathing in the treatment of asthma and bronchitis. The problem is that it has the "interesting" quality of inducing the body to produce more muscle and burn fat. This quality has been used to fatten cattle, but it is based on building muscle, which is faster and produces leaner meat. The problem is that in order to get the calf to "build muscle" it is necessary to supply it with doses ten times higher than the therapeutic ones. Once in the body, it manages to distribute the substance as it can between the muscles, the liver and even the eyes. If the cheating farmer does not give the animal enough time to remove the deposits of this substance before slaughter,

This is what happened in the mid-1990s. There were cases of poisoning from ingesting meat or liver with excess clenbuterol, which manifested with muscle tremors, palpitations and tachycardia , among other symptoms. These, although they remitted after hours, gave the affected person a good scare, especially if he had heart problems. Since then the authorities have taken the fight against this substance very seriously.A dangerous hoax

is that the use of clenbuterol without a prescription is both a public health problem and a hoax .

Health problem due to the negative effects it can have not only on the body of consumers, but also on athletes and bodybuilders who consume it without medical supervision, simply to improve their marks or their physical appearance.

I deceive the consumer, who bought a meat of poorer quality, even dangerous, for which the cheating farmer earned more money than if he had done things right. I deceive the rest of the athletes, who got their medals without help and the spectators of those sports, who are always disappointed by foul play.

Regarding bodybuilding, it is more difficult to fool anyone, try searching the Internet for "clenbuterol" and you will get an idea.