"Meldonium does not help to run faster and longer." What a dope used Maria Sharapova?

The drug, which is found in the doping trial of Maria Sharapova, you can easily buy in the usual Russian pharmacy.

The fact that mildronate was not developed in a secret laboratory for military or athletes. In 1975, it was created the by Professor Ivar Kalvins, now he heads the Department of Medical Chemistry of the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis (Riga).

First mildronat ordered the Defense Ministry, then the Ministry of Health made the drug for medical use. By 2013, Latvia was selling it at EUR 70 million per year - about 0.7% of total exports.

In sports mildronate (or meldonium) are most commonly used in Russia. Last year, when the drug was not banned, it was found in 17% of the doping tests Russian athletes. Among the athletes from other countries the percentage is almost 8 times less - 2.2%.

I contacted the creator of mildronats this morning at 10 Riga time. "I can speak Russian," - said the professor immediately.

How did you created the formula of Mildronate?

- I just wanted to know, what is depleted in the human body by prolonged stress. I found a substance whose biosynthesis resources are depleted is a gamma-butyrobetaine. In the molecule of gamma-butyrobetaine molecule one carbon is replaced by one nitrogen, so it did not decomposed and was useful as a carrier signal from the central nervous system to the periphery of the cells in the reflex. That's all. This is Meldonium.

- What do you feel about fact that Meldronate is banned from 1 January?

- Very Negative. Because if we forbid athletes to take care of health, it is a violation of human rights. No one today with the help of double-blind, randomized clinical trials have not shown that the application of Meldonium improving physical shape, increases stamina, increases power and strength, and so on. There are no papers, so it is an unproven allegations that improves the ability Meldonium or – there is a good English word - performance athlete.

- What does Mildronte do?

- During training, athletes often work to limit or close to the limit of the abilities. If you do it while taking meldonium, athlete's heart is protected from the occurrence of unsafe ischemia or lack of oxygen - after which the cells begin to die. But this does not mean that the athlete because the drug can do something bigger and better than others. Meldonium just protects from the devastating effects of work at full capacity.

Here we have the mayor of Riga Nil Ushakov, he decided that he could run a long distance race on the traditional two days in a row. And what? He almost died. If he would do such thing on the background of Meldonium – most likely, such problems would not exist.

- Nevertheless, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has banned the drug. It is believed that it helps to adapt to stress, increases stamina.

- When you eat proper nutritious food, you will also adapt to increased loads, because you have more energy capacity. There is a list of drugs that proved - at the same steroids will better develop the muscles, with doping, you can show a better result than without it. But this does not apply to Meldonium (Mildronate): when it is used during the competition, he is likely give the opposite effect.

- Why?

- Yes, the athlete will be protected from the harmful effects of ischemia, it will not have a heart attack or stroke, but not run longer or faster than he can. The energy produced from the substrates that are used for this - it is either fat or glucose. Meldonium slows down oxidation of fatty acids, which means that for each gram of substrate brought use less fat. With each gram turns out more than half the energy and blood after all no longer fed. How can you burn something that does not exist?

- But athletes actively used Mildronats - in the Soviet Union, in Russia. May be because it was needed for something?

- The fact that Meldonium was used, I knew. This, in my opinion, is a good decision. They should be used during exercise such drugs. Before the competition, 10 days, probably should not be used to avoid the influence of Mildronate the oxidation of fatty acids. During the competition's okay - if you want, you can risk your health. And during the training necessary to protect the athlete.

To gain a good shape, athletes train hard, and if you suddenly have a problem with the heart and muscles - everything he will perish, he would not be an athlete. Meldonium called - cytoprotector, I.e. protector of cells against the harmful effects of lack of oxygen.

- Then why it was widely used by the military?

- Because when the air lacks oxygen, ischemia occurs or hypoxia. When hypoxia occurs, you have a daze, you can’t shoot either, nor to fly a plane, you need to somehow manage to use all the energy reserves you had. Meldonium activates the utilization of glucose, as a substrate for energy production is more profitable in oxygen consumption.

It turns out energy from each gram less, but requires less oxygen per molecule of ATP produced. It does not improve the performance and capacity of your performance in watts or kilowatts, so to speak. The drug simply allows you to not die when the oxygen deprivation begin. You survive, just with less ability to perform some physical work.

As far as I heard from the military, those who received Meldonium survived in Afghanistan and other mountain areas. And those who did not get Mildronate - well, there's no oxygen, what can you do?