Ergogenics   [Definitie:] "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance." (Wilmore and Costill)   Nieuwsbrief over doping, supplementen, voeding en training
Bonds, de doper       Doping is overal       Straks: de smartdrugs       Andy Miah

1 8 - 0 2 - 2 0 0 3 Het zakenleven zit te wachten op smartdrugs Ze bestaan nog niet, maar ze komen er beslist. Vroeg of laat zal het onderzoek naar Alzheimer uitmonden in een middel dat het geheugen en het concentratievermogen verbetert. En dan zullen carrièremakers net zo smachten naar smartdrugs als bodybuilders naar anabolen. Dat voorspelt managementsjournalist en -goeroe Michael Schrage in Fortune. Nu al slikken miljoenen mensen ginkgo en sintjanskruid omdat ze denken dat daardoor hun hersenen beter gaan werken. Harde bewijzen dat die middelen dat ook daadwerkelijk doen, zijn er niet, aldus Schrage, maar desondanks zijn ginkgo en sintjanskruid populaire supplementen. Je kunt dus op je vingers natellen wat er gebeurt als er een middel op de markt verschijnt waarvan de wetenschappers wel unaniem van mening zijn dat het werkt. Dan gebeurt er in het zakenleven hetzelfde als in de sport, waar het gebruik van verboden middelen gemeengoed is - omdat ze gewoon werken. Als de nieuwe middelen legaal worden zullen zakenmensen ze net zo makkelijk wegslikken als de klassieke martinis na de lunch. Maar als ze in de illegaliteit terechtkomen, dan zullen er grijze markten ontstaan zoals we die nu ook hebben voor groeihormoon en viagra. En legaal of illegaal, de smartdrugs zullen ongekend succesvol zijn. Ontwerpers en ingenieurs maken nu al grapjes over de effecten van hun dieet van donuts, twinkie cakes en sterke koffie op hun creatieve vaardigheden. Denk je dat smartdrugs niet in die cultuur zullen passen? Ach kom. Grote bedrijven als General Electric, Intel en Hyundai sporen hun werknemers nu al aan om vooral slimmer te werken. Wat zal er gebeuren als die bedrijven doorkrijgen dat hun medewerkers sneller werken als ze pillen gebruiken of een patch dragen? Diezelfde bedrijven besteden miljarden aan trainingen. Wat zou er gebeuren als duidelijk wordt dat diezelfde pillen het rendement van al die dure trainingen verhogen? Het zijn allemaal retorische vragen, vindt Schrage. Want iedereen weet het antwoord al. Michael Schrage. Performing Poorly? The Solution's a No-Brainer: Just Pop a Smart Pill! Fortune, edition april 1999. Should We Fear 'Cosmetic Neurology' By James D. Miller Tech Central Station 10/29/2004  "Improve a mechanical device and you may double productivity. But improve man, you gain a thousand fold." -- Khan Noonien Singh (Star Trek, the original series episode "Space Seed")   Although genetically enhanced supermen are still a while off, our economy may be forever altered by cognitive enhancing drugs. A neurology professor believes we may soon enter an era of "cosmetic neurology" in which doctors prescribe drugs to improve the mental fitness of healthy individuals.   Drugs such as steroids, which boost the physical prowess of already fit athletes, create headaches for professional sports. Although we should seek to stop athletes from enhancing their performance pharmaceutically, we should let individuals decided whether to artificially boost their own brainpower.   It's tempting to argue that steroids are wrong because they give users unnatural advantages, and that since cognitive enhancers do likewise they too are wrong and should also be banned. But if the performance of all athletes were to improve by 20% we wouldn't become 20% better off, because the relative performance of athletes is what really matters to fans. Furthermore, if just a few teams or players used steroids then games would become less competitive and so less exciting. In contrast, for most of the economy absolute performance is what counts. If, for example, we improved the productivity of all cancer researchers, software engineers and teachers by 20%, then society would indeed benefit greatly.   Cognitive enhancers, like steroids, might have negative side effects. Some people might worry that if they don't use the enhancers but everyone else does then they won't be able to compete, but if they do use the drugs they will suffer ill health effects, so "cosmetic neurology" offers a lose-lose proposition. But labor markets would compensate users for the negative effects of the drugs and so would leave few users worse off: workers who took cognitive enhancers would do better at their jobs and so get paid more. Furthermore, they would take the drugs only if the extra pay was worth the increased health risks.   Employees who didn't take cognitive enhancers would get paid less than those who did, but would still probably make more than they would in a world without "cosmetic neurology". Productivity growth powers our economy. If drugs could improve the rate at which many of us learn they would supercharge our knowledge economy and so benefit even those who forwent pharmaceutical enhancements.   Although I have no empirical evidence, I strongly believe that the widespread use of antidepressant drugs like Prozac has increased U.S. productivity. Prozac, by reducing depression and anxiety, makes it easier for many Americans to concentrate on productive activities. A cognitive enhancing drug that could raise its users' IQ by 10 points or give the average American a photographic memory would literally be worth trillions of dollars to our knowledge economy.   Fortunately, the U.S. will be politically unable to ban effective cognitive enhancers for long because countries such as China and Singapore will almost certainly encourage their use. The U.S. economy currently benefits from an international brain gain because the best and the brightest desire America's freedom. But if our government prevents Americans' brains from reaching their admittedly unnatural maximum then the world's intellectual elite would seek friendlier shores. After all, if your dream in life is to cure cancer and only in Singapore can you use a drug that raises your IQ by 10 points, wouldn't you emigrate?   James D. Miller writes The Game Theorist column for TCS and is a Republican candidate for the Massachusetts State Senate. [Link]

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