Blood Doping: Red Blood Cell Counts
Blood doping is a performance enhancing technique used to increase the number of red blood cells in the
human body. The most commonly used types of blood doping include injections of erythropoietin (EPO)
and blood transfusions.
EPO is a naturally produced hormone that causes the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. A blood
transfusion involves removing blood from the body and storing it while the body naturally replenishes the
red blood cells. The removed blood is then reinjected to the body at a later date, leading to a higher
number of red blood cells.
The table below provides data on the number of red blood cells in the human body after an injection of
EPO. Construct a graph of the number of red blood cells vs time.
Time after EPO injection (days)
Red blood cells per mm3 (millions)
0
5.2
1
6.0
2
7.2
3
8.8
4
9.4
5
9.0
6
8.2
7
7.0
8
6.5