Placebo boosts runners' performance
1 Dec 2014
Endurance runners’ race times have been improved by 1.2% after taking a ’performance boosting’ placebo, a study has found.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow have examined the placebo effect by giving 15 endurance-trained runners a fictional performance-boosting drug called OxyRBX which was said to “improve oxygen delivery to the muscles in a similar way to a hormone called recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO)”.
The runners were actually injected with saline - a sterile solution of sodium chloride.
“Such research may also help with the anti-doping fight
Researcher Ramzy Ross
After self-injecting the saline placebo over the course of seven days, the 15 runners improved their race times by an average of 1.2% and all reported a reduction in physical effort, increased potential motivation and improved recovery after running following the saline injections.
Jason Gill of the Institute of Cardiovascular & Medical Sciences, said: “The change in performance was of clear sporting relevance, albeit smaller than the improvement that would be produced by r-HuEPO.
“The placebo may work by reducing perception of effort and increasing potential motivation in line with a psychological expectation of performance.”
Ramzy Ross, who worked alongside Gill on the initial study, said that this study has provided useful insights into how psychology and physiology may interact and affect physical performance outcome in a real-life sporting event.
“This has real relevance to true sporting situations. For example, this study has shown the manipulation of ones perception of effort and potential motivation can meaningfully impact on physical performance,” said Ross.
“One of the next stages would be to see if such an effect can be elicited on some of the best runners in the world who’s running times are faster than those present in this study.”
The research team is now looking to build on its initial study by understanding human limitations.
“Furthering our understanding of how we can enhance physical performance, in studies reflecting meaningful real-life scenarios and without the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs, will help us better understand physical limitations of the human body and how we may be able to, more safely and legally, overcome these,” said Ross.
“In addition, such research may also help with the anti-doping fight by showing that meaningful performance enhancing effects can be achieved without the use of sanctioned substances.”
A full account of the study has been published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
