A nine year study of the effects of drugs
on high level athletic performance
John Underwood has
conducted nearly
14,000 physiological
tests over the past
20 years on elite
athletes.
The following slides
reflect his efforts to
deter drug use by
athletes.
We lose more people to fatal accidents during
this time than during all other ages.
Athletes remain one of the
highest "at risk" groups for
drug use and abuse.
H.S. ATHLETES REPORTING ALCOHOL USE DURING SCHOOL YEAR
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
13.4
7.1
8.2
6.3
9.4
%>
COLLEGE
90
80
70
LIFE
60
HIGH SCHOOL
50
40
30
20
MODIFIED
10
0
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23 age
ATHLETE
NONATHLETE
Use of ALCOHOL from Adolescence to Adulthood
by Athlete and Non-Athlete Populations
Of Team Leaders/Co-Captains use
drugs/alcohol during the season.
25
20
15
10
5
% USE
0
2.9
9.1
13.6
16.9
18.9
20.1
Pot use is
increasing in
many
populations.
Athletes are
using pot at
alarming levels.
Today’s Pot
Marijuana THC content 1960-70’s 1-4% THC
Marijuana THC content today 40+% THC
Detection Times
• Marijuana/Cannabinoids (THC, Marijuana)
Detection Time:
• 1 time use only 5-8 days
• 2-4x per month 11-18 days
• 2-4x per week 23-35 days
• 5-6x per week 33-48 days
• Daily 49-63 days
• Most State Drug Courts have used 30 days as the
cleanout rate for Cannabinoids /THC
Think about what you
are doing off the field…
That will ruin what you
do on the field…
Underwood
American Athletic Institute
Don’t mess with it.
Master Control
The human brain is made up
about 100,000,000,000
information processing cells,
called neurons. The neurons are
connected by 'wires' that carry
electrical signals, rather like the
wires in a computer do. The total
length of these 'wires' in a human
brain is about 100,000 miles!
That's half the distance between
the earth and the moon.
FRONTAL
CEREBELLUM
BRAIN ACTIVITY DURING THROWING
The morning after heavy drinking, the body sends a desperate message to replenish
its water supply -- usually manifested in the form of an extremely dry mouth.
Headaches result from dehydration because the body's organs try to make up for
their own water loss by stealing water from the brain, causing the brain to
decrease in size and pull on the membranes that connect the brain to the skull,
resulting in pain.
Non –Alcohol User
Heavy Alcohol User
Alcohol alters the brain chemically and
over time, structurally
IT RUNS YOUR BODY
Live the Life of an ATHLETE©
Blood flow in brain
No sleep
6 HOURS AND 40 MINUTES
A Stanford University study may help persuade
at least student athletes to make more time for
sleep.
Cheri Mah, a researcher at Stanford, worked
with basketball players, who all ran faster and
made more shots over a period in which they
slept at least 10 hours a night.
"Athletes who get an extra amount of sleep are
more likely to improve their performance in a
game," says Mah, who released results from an
ongoing study in June. "It's not common
knowledge, because if people understood how
much of a difference (getting more sleep)
could make athletically," they'd incorporate it
more into their lives and not focus solely on
nutrition and exercise.
The CNS can only be at
maximal intensive level
for physical activity and
function for 2-3 hours
during a 24 hour period
Over stimulation of the Central Nervous System eventually
results in chronic fatigue and breakdown.
ENERGY DRINKS ACTUALLY LIMIT THE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN HIGH LEVEL
MENTAL OR PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE RATHER THAN INCREASE IT.
Relating to or of the nature
of a residue…
That which remains after the
removal of substances
Windows of Assessment for
Various Alcohol Biomarkers
WOW I didn’t know that!!!
BAC
Instant
EtG EtS
CDT PEth GGT AGT ALT MCV
4-5 days
3-8 weeks
OPTIMAL
Susan Tapert/University of California, San Diego
The images above show the brain activity of a 15-year-old nondrinker, top, and a drinker, bottom.
Surface View:
This smooth
view shows full
activity
Bumpy areas
and places that
do not ‘fill in’
are areas of low
or decreased
activity.
Teen heavy weekend user of Alcohol
Amen Clinics
Amen Clinics
Alcohol no alcohol one year later
Amen Clinics
HEALTHY NORMAL BRAIN
What kind of performance will you have?
What kind of performance will you accept?
HEAVY TEEN ALCOHOL USER
Scans by Amen Clinics
Explosive Power
POWER ENDURANCE
American Athletic Institute
Injury Rates >
Injury rates for drinkers 54.8%
Injury rates for non-drinkers 23.8%
Alcohol and
Marijuana
decrease
immune
capability
70% DECREASE IN
HGH RELEASE
Maintains muscle mass
Repairs muscle fiber
Fat metabolism
Carbohydrate metabolism
ENDURANCE REDUCED
Oxygen consumption
was reduced by 4.9
ml/kg/min…
American Athletic Institute
YOUR BRAIN AND
YOUR
MUSCLES RUN OFF
BLOOD
GLUCOSE LEVELS
the body has trouble making more glucose because it is expending its energy
metabolizing the alcohol. Both of these effects of alcohol can cause severe
hypoglycemia 6 to 36 hours after a heavy drinking episode.
Hypoglycemia is defined as a blood sugar < 50 mg/dl
LOST PERFORMANCE POTENTIAL
The residual effect of alcohol or a
hangover has been shown to reduce
performance by an average of 11.4% in
elite athlete populations.
LOST PERFORMANCE POTENTIAL
Elite level athletes lost an
average of 11.4% from their
median performance level
as a result of the residual
effect of alcohol…
American Athletic Institute
Alcohol
suppresses
testosterone
production in
all humans.
TESTOSTERONE = TRAINING
Some teen males who drink heavily & regularly have
testosterone levels similar to female levels.
• American Athletic Institute has studied the impact of alcohol
on condition in elite athletes. Impact has shown significant
projections in lost physiological condition that correlates to as
much as 14 days of lost training effect…for each time drunk…
AMERICAN ATHLETIC INSTITUTE 2005
OPTIMAL?
Healthy Brain
Marijuana Brain
16 yr. old daily user
Amen Clinics
How Long does it stay in your system?
NON USER
MARIJUANA USER
SIMPLE HAND SKILL
SIMPLE HAND SKILL
Note: Subject not under influence during scan.
Remember when you are not training…
That somewhere, someone is training…
And when you meet them…
They will beat you.
Matveev USSR
Remember when you are partying…
That somewhere, someone is not
partying…
And when you meet them…
They will beat you.
Underwood USA
Alexander Karelin USSR 3XOlympic Champion 9X World Champion
Think about every choice you make.