Scientists Say Chemical Found in Spinach Is Basically a Steroid, Should Be Banned for Athletes

...but if a professional athlete ever flunks a drug test and then tries to blame it on eating several pounds of spinach, well, that might be legit. Scientists at the Freie Universität Berlin have recently recommended that ecdysterone, a chemical found in spinach, should be added to the World Anti-Doping Authority’s (WADA) list of banned substances because of its potentially steroid-like effects.

Scientist s Say Chemical Found in Spinach Is Basically a Steroid, Should Be Banned for Athletes

Sounds absurd, but I think you'd need to consume a HUUUGE amount of said vegetable to "fail" a future hypothetical drug test if competing etc...

Sounds slightly hilarious though - "in my defence, I ate a helluva lotta vegetables"

I always knew popeye was a roid junkie.

Those athletes should just claim they are feeling like the opposite gender that day and it's part of their hormone therapy. It works for transpeople who can then take obviously banned substances as part of their prescribed regimen and compete all they want.

Or ... more junk science. My kid loves spinach. He eats it over lettuce every time.

The dose is 8.8 lbs of spinach basically. This article is dumb because trace amounts of most banned substances can be found in many foods. It has nothing to do with spinach. Just a new drug that will be banned from some sports.

originally posted by: Stupidsecrets
The dose is 8.8 lbs of spinach basically. This article is dumb because trace amounts of most banned substances can be found in many foods. It has nothing to do with spinach. Just a new drug that will be banned from some sports.

It's not even a "drug" as such, like, say, synthetic testosterone...

a reply to: AnakinWayneII

Ecdysterones are found in many plants, the highest concentration in Rhaponticum and Ajuga. They are quite safe and used for millenia. S. American Suma root is also quite high in ecdys.

They are an excellent supplement for aging males with lower free testosterone. Use adaptogenic formulas with these plants myself and theyre life changing. Spinach is quite low in comparison.

originally posted by: Stupidsecrets
The dose is 8.8 lbs of spinach basically. This article is dumb because trace amounts of most banned substances can be found in many foods. It has nothing to do with spinach. Just a new drug that will be banned from some sports.

4kg would wilt to nothing.. some garlic, butter, pinch of salt.. toot toot!

However the overdose of all the other nutrients would cause problems and your kidneys would be mad at you.

originally posted by: gallop

originally posted by: Stupidsecrets
The dose is 8.8 lbs of spinach basically. This article is dumb because trace amounts of most banned substances can be found in many foods. It has nothing to do with spinach. Just a new drug that will be banned from some sports.

4kg would wilt to nothing.. some garlic, butter, pinch of salt.. toot toot!

However the overdose of all the other nutrients would cause problems and your kidneys would be mad at you.

Yup, heard about the oxalic acid fears... (However, those fears are only realised if spinach is consumed raw)

I am sure someone has made the comparison to spinach and the phenomena of Popeyes muscles growing to three times their size when he downs a can.
If not.... I am hanging with a very young crowd.

a reply to: AnakinWayneII

I had a spinach salad with bacon last night with my dinner. Ut oh...

a reply to: weirdguy

Thank god....

Gee, ecdysterone is not the only muscle building compound in spinach, trimethylglycine also builds muscles. Just ask Popeye. They have known about the ability of Spinach to make people stronger since I was a kid. The thing is that cooking spinach is way better than eating it raw, you notice that Popeye ate spinach from a can. That is because spinach has lots of oxylates that can cause problems if eaten excessively when raw. Add a little milk to the spinach to add calcium to keep the oxylates from being absorbed from the digestive tract and causing kidney stones.

Edit, go to the can after seeing this, then comment and find out others have said the same thing I said while I was dilly wagging so long.

So THAT explains how I did so well in collegiate athletics. Guess I better inform the NCAA about my massive spinach intake while I was in college.

Also worth noting, caffeine is also a banned substance, but only over certain quantities. That's right 6-8 cups of coffee 2-3 hours before a competition will have you fail a drug screening in the NCAA.

originally posted by: ketsuko
Those athletes should just claim they are feeling like the opposite gender that day and it's part of their hormone therapy. It works for transpeople who can then take obviously banned substances as part of their prescribed regimen and compete all they want.

Or ... more junk science. My kid loves spinach. He eats it over lettuce every time.

The best part about that defense is, if they refute your claim, they’re racist fascist transphobic bigots and will be removed from their job!

Win win

Tell that to all the taro eating Pacific Islanders in sport. I love taro,very nice.

originally posted by: dubiousatworst
So THAT explains how I did so well in collegiate athletics. Guess I better inform the NCAA about my massive spinach intake while I was in college.

Also worth noting, caffeine is also a banned substance, but only over certain quantities. That's right 6-8 cups of coffee 2-3 hours before a competition will have you fail a drug screening in the NCAA.

Good point about caffeine.

They probably have a milligrams limit or something.

What about sugar? Wouldn't surprise me if sugar over a certainly milligram limit is banned - that stuff is crazy, like coc aine hahahahahahahahahahahahaha