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By Ground Up Strength
A diuretic is any agent that acts to increase urine. Diuretics increase the excretion of water and electrolytes from the body's fluids. They thereby decrease the extracellular fluid volume. They are used to adjust the volume or composition of the body fluids in many different clinical situations such as high blood pressure, heart failure, renal failure and nephrotic syndrome. The common name for diuretic drugs are "water pills."
Diuretics generally work by affecting ion transport in the kidney nephron. The most clinically useful ones primarily decrease sodium (Na+) re-absorption from the tubules. By putting more sodium into the urine diuretics take water along with them, which gets carried along passively so that osmotic equilibrium is maintained.
The Five major classes of diuretics are
- Carbonic anydrase inhibitors - Acetazolamide (Diamox)
- Loop diuretics - Forosemide (Lasix), ethacrynic acid (Edecrin), and bumetanide (Bumex), Torsemide (Demadex)
- Thiazede diuretics - Chlorothiazide, Hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide), Indapamide, Metolazone (Zaroxolyn)
- Osmotic diuretics - Mannitol and urea
- Pottassium-sparing diuretics - Spironolactone (Aldactone), Amiloride (Midamor), Triamterene (Dyrenium), Eplerenone (Inspra)
Diuretic in Sports: Banned Masking Agents
Diuretics are part of the group of banned substances in sports known as "masking agents." These substances have no ergogenic (performance enhancing) effect of their own but are used to mask the presence of other banned substances. Other examples of masking agents are epitestosterone, probenecid, 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors and plasma expanders. Although these substances all have different mechanisms of action the primary objective is usually to reduce the concentration of the doping agent or its metabolites in the urine by some means. Diuretics have been banned by WADA since 1988. The idea is that diluting the urine makes the detection of banned substances in the urine more difficult.
Diuretics are also used sometimes in sports with weight categories such as wrestling and boxing to lose weight quickly in order to be able to meet a weight requirement. This is another reason they are banned and a very dangerous practice.
Diuretics in Bodybuilding
Professional bodybuilders use diuretics several days before contests to help achieve the requisite "ripped and shredded" appearance. The water shedding effect of diuretics help rid their bodies of subcutaneous water (water beneath the skin). This essentially makes the skin thinner thus giving the muscle more clarity and definition. Although a very low body fat percentage is required to achieve the extremely defined muscles of modern bodybuilding the exquisite detail, complete with individual muscle striations, we see in today's bodybuilders, whether on stage during contests or in the pages of bodybuilding magazines, would not be possible without the use of these drugs which can be very dangerous.
Diuretics such as Lasix (Furosemide) can have an immediate and fatal effect as they leach minerals and electrolytes from the body. Lasix can have such a potassium depleting effect if overused that cardiac arrest can occur. As it is "too potent" and hard to control it is likely to do much more than shed subcutaneous water and "deflate" the muscles as well, which contain mostly water themselves. This and the danger make drugs like Aldactone, a milder potassium-sparing diuretic, more popular. Some bodybuilders opt to use herbal diuretics, such as dandelion, which are available over-the-counter and bodybuilding supplement manufacturers market diuretic herbal preparations containing a mixture of diuretic herbs and extra magnesium, calcium, and potassium.
References
1. Ramachandran, Anand. "Chp. 23: Diurectics." Pharmacology Recall. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2007. 194-201. Print.
2. Hemmersbach, Peter, and Detlef Thieme. "Chp. 15: Masking and Manipulation." Doping in Sports: Handbook of Experimemental Pharmocology. Vol. 195. Springer - International Publisher Science, Technology, Medicine. 327-29. Print.
This page is provided by Ground Up Strength for information purposes only and should not take the place of professional medical advice. Although we have done our utmost to provide accurate and safe information, we are not medical professionals and the information on this page should not be taken as professional medical advice, or any other kind of medical advice.
This page created 24 Feb 2011 02:36
Last updated 21 May 2012 15:59
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