Creator of meldonium is sure - Mildronate has nothing to do with doping

Meldonium does not apply to doping, as it does not increase the capacity of the human body, but it renews it to its normal state, Academician of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Chemistry, Professor Ivars Kalvinsh told a press conference in Moscow on April 18.

Problems with the motor

"The effect of the drug on the heart is similar to how an internal combustion engine works: we must supply fuel and air there, the number of components must correspond to each other so that complete combustion takes place. Once the fuel is more than oxygen, the motor stalls. Our heart eats a mixture of oxygen and fatty acids and sugar. From the supply of oxygen to the muscle depends on health: everything burns, and we feel good, if there is a shortage of oxygen, the fatty acids do not burn. In this situation, it is necessary to limit the flow of fatty acids inside the myocardium. If this is not done, all activated fats will dissolve the cell membranes. This happens when the athlete exceeds the border that he has trained, and there are irreversible changes in the heart muscles, "said Academician Kalvinsh.

He also added that among young athletes sudden deaths are 10 times greater than the average in the population, 92% of young people who died from sudden death died in training or in competitions.

Journalists asked: if training can be dangerous for athletes, then why is the drug used only in Eastern Europe, as athletes survive in the West. Associate Professor of the Department of Sports Medicine, head of the laboratory of sports cardiology of the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sports, Youth and Tourism, Candidate of Medical Sciences Anastasia Mikhailova said that Western doctors have their own developments, which they do not tell colleagues about.

And Kalvinsh has declared: "Meldonium reduces an overload with under-oxidized fatty acids. The final result can be achieved with carnitine. However, this substance is not prohibited. WADA does not prohibit the use of the thyroid hormone triiodothyronine, but it is used by weight-loss boxers to perform in a lower category, as well as jumpers."

Philosophical question

Nevertheless, journalists insisted that if the drug helps to recover, then its application has a positive effect on the results of athletes. "We give the myocardium a normal response and do not die in conditions of oxygen starvation. If you think so, then we must give up food. After all, any food increases the performance of the athlete, "- the Latvian academician is perplexed.

According to Anastasia Mikhailova to prevent the development of cardiovascular disorders, the drug shows about 20% of athletes. It is in this quantity that there are signs of overstrain: disturbances in repolarization, rhythm, and conductivity.

"Indeed, it is shown that with various phenomena of overstrain of the cardiovascular system, working capacity is reduced. But what is primary, what is secondary? The question is open. None of the studies have shown that meldonium improves working capacity in both altered and healthy hearts. Studies have shown that the drug improves myocardial nutrition. Removes the state of overtraining, "she concludes.