Athletes may mask testosterone use by drinking a cup of strong green tea

Sportspersons become more and more sophisticated in intake of steroids. They find new ways to hide their usage of forbidden products. Some of them take time to study scientists’ affirmations which may help them to hide that they dope. Today a way has been discovered: sportspersons can mask administration of testosterone with the help of green tea.
Testosterone is a hormone which presents in body naturally. Thus, it can be difficult for anti-doping agencies to determine that an athlete has used testosterone. T: E ratio testing is usually used by anti-doping agencies. Such tests can demonstrate uncommon ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone in urine. But it doesn’t have ability to show difference between testosterone that 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 determined that green tea has such compounds that are called “catechins”. They can inhibit the enzyme UGT2B17. This enzyme promotes attaching glucuronic acid to testosterone. If UGT2B17 is inhibited, less testosterone glucoronide is excreted in urine.  
Catechins, the compounds that have ability to mask testosterone use, are in green and white tea. Black tea lacks such compounds.
Naughton and his colleagues have conducted some experiments. They confirm that a cup of strong green tea mask application of testosterone.
So, those sportspersons that administer testosterone can reduce amounts of testosterone excreting in urine by drinking of green or white tea. Green or white tea may block excretion of testosterone, increasing circulating levels of this hormone.
The World Anti-Doping Agency was informed about the discovering by the experts. If this process occurs, it is not worthy to test urine. Blood tests should be performed in order to determine that a person has used testosterone.
Olivier Rabin, the WADA’s expert, 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.