Green tea helps steroid users to dope and avoid detection

Sportspersons become more and more sophisticated in usage of steroids. They find new methods to hide their intake of banned medicines. Several sportspersons spend time studying experts’ affirmations that can help them to hide that they dope. Nowadays a method has been discovered: sportspersons can mask application of testosterone by drinking of green tea.
Testosterone is a hormone which is secreted in body naturally. Thus, it may be difficult for anti-doping organizations to determine that a sportsperson has administered testosterone. T: E ratio testing is ordinarily used by anti-doping agencies. Such tests may demonstrate uncommon ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone in urine. But it doesn’t have ability to display difference between testosterone which has been created in body naturally and that introduced into body with the help of injections, creams, etc.
 Declan Naughton and his colleagues at Kingston University ( London) have found that green tea has such compounds which are called “catechins”. They are able to inhibit the enzyme UGT2B17. This enzyme induces attaching glucuronic acid to testosterone. In case UGT2B17 is inhibited, less testosterone glucoronide is excreted in urine.  
Catechins, the compounds which are able to mask usage of testosterone, are contained in green and white tea. Black tea doesn’t contain such compounds.
Naughton and his colleagues have conducted some experiments. They confirm that a cup of strong green tea mask usage of testosterone.
Thus, those sportspersons who apply testosterone may reduce quantities of testosterone excreting in urine by consumption of green or white tea. Green or white tea is capable to block excretion of testosterone, increasing circulating levels of this hormone.
The World Anti-Doping Agency was informed about the findings by the specialists. If this process occurs, it means that it is not worthy to apply urine tests. Blood tests should be performed in order to determine that a person has used testosterone.
Olivier Rabin, the WADA’s specialist, affirms that regular checks of blood steroids will be added. Everything will be done by anti-doping agencies in order to avoid fooling of urine tests.