PFC's and the flu...

When you train hard you tend to get sick more easily. It happens to all athletes, pros and recreational. Your immune system is suppressed as the body recovers from heavy workloads, IMO.

Lou.

wilmar13 said:

Is it just me or does it seem like the the big boys in Europe are constantly sick with "the flu"? I swear everytime I read Velonews there are more people that didn't start or didn't finish a race because they have "the flu". Is it just that they are pushing themselves so hard and the weather and environment is such that illness is very common, or could it be something else? I remember reading a while back about compounds that can be used for doping called perfluorochemicals (PFC's), and that they can be used to carry much more oxygen in the blood, but that there was a side effect of flu-like symptoms. I am not interested in a witchhunt for dopers, but could it be this or something similar that is causing so much rider illness, or is it just a matter of springtime flu's in Europe and it is no more common than 10 years ago?

The amount of 'flu and other similar viruses going around and the nastiness of the strains vary from year to year and this year has been a bad Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly Europe. That is, lots of different viruses are going around and the current 'flu strain is tending to cause a more severe illness.

The weather/environment have nothing to do with it! apart from the fact that these viruses spread a bit more easily in cold, wet weather.

patch70 said:

The amount of 'flu and other similar viruses going around and the nastiness of the strains vary from year to year and this year has been a bad Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly Europe. That is, lots of different viruses are going around and the current 'flu strain is tending to cause a more severe illness.

The weather/environment have nothing to do with it! apart from the fact that these viruses spread a bit more easily in cold, wet weather.

I was told by a former team doctor to 'never confuse elite athletes, with good health'

It seems high performance leads to unreliablity, just like in race cars.

Using doping products leads to health issues over time. In the short-term, who knows. But too much intensity can lead to illnesses.