Green and white tea can help dopers to avoid detection

Sportspeople become more and more sophisticated in usage of steroids. They study new ways to mask their administration of forbidden drugs. Some athletes spend time studying specialists’ affirmations that can help them to hide that they dope. Today a way has been found: sportspeople may mask intake of testosterone with the help of green tea.
Testosterone is a hormone which presents in body naturally. Thus, it may be difficult for anti-doping agencies to determine that an athlete has taken testosterone. T: E ratio testing is ordinarily used by anti-doping agencies. Such tests may manifest uncommon ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone in urine. But it doesn’t display difference between testosterone which has been created in body naturally and that introduced into body with the help of injections, gels, etc.
 Declan Naughton and his colleagues at Kingston University ( London) have found that green tea contains such compounds which are called “catechins”. They can 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 substances which have ability to mask testosterone use, are contained in green and white tea. Black tea doesn’t contain such compounds.
Naughton and his colleagues have conducted several experiments. They confirm that a cup of strong green tea hides administration of testosterone.
So, those sportspeople who apply testosterone may reduce quantities of testosterone excreting in urine by consumption of green or white tea. Green or white tea is able 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 subject athletes to urine tests. Blood tests should be performed in order to determine that a person has used testosterone.
Olivier Rabin, the WADA’s specialist, confirms that regular checks of blood steroids will be added. Everything will be done by anti-doping officials in order to prevent fooling of urine tests.