hematocrit levels

[mjh]

Recently had some blood tests performed and found my HCT level to be 37.7. This wasn't done for cycling reasons, but I'm curious if anyone knows what a typical age grouper level would be and if there are ways to increase it without doping? Will certain training proceesses tend to improve it?

 

[oneradtec]

training at altitude or sleeping in special tent that stimulates atmospheric conditions at altitude.

You could also dehydrate yourself..although I do not recommend that one....and in the end it wouldn't help you at all.

You could take a syringe and withdraw some of your own blood and freeze it. Your body will then compensate for the RBC's that you took away by producing more RBC's to replace the withdrawn blood. You then thaw out the blood in the syringe and reinject it..adding back the RBC's that the body has already replaced...thus increasing the baseline RBC"s and increasing the efficiency of the blood to carry oxygen to working muscles. This is a form of blood doping though and I do not recommend it.

EPO increases the production of RBC's..which is why it is so widely abused in endurance sports. When RBC's increase...so does hematocrit levels. At certain points it becomes dangerous because the blood becomes more concentrated. It's as if the blood turns from liquid to jello. When athletes use EPO..it's important for them to drink plenty of water and to stay well hydrated at all times. A dehydrated athlete with a high hematocrit level is like a walking timebomb. This is also one way to pass the UCI's hematocrit testing...to drink an abundance of fluids before the controls to dilute the true hematocrit level. I believe that once the hematocrit is above 50% it is considered unsafe to race.

 

[mjh]

Thanks oneradtec. It dosen't sound like any of those options are for me. I'm willing to train, eat and sleep to a competetive advantage, but that's about it. Do you know if my 37.7% reading is normal? I've read that some elite pro's can have levels reaching 45-50% w/o doping.

Obviously the higher the better to a point. I guess I'm wondering whether a genetically gifted age grouper might have levels upwards of 40%, or are we all pretty much in the same range?

 

[apolack1]

A hematocrit above 50% isnt dangerous. Actually, natural hematocrits in certain individuals can be above 50%, but not by much, 52% would be a better control if you wanted to place a line to detect artifical enhancment. Some cyclists whose hematocrits are naturally above 50 need doctors to do a number of tests to prove to the ICU that its natural. The line is there to detect cheaters (and is a pretty low line). This isnt to say EPO is safe, because it can be dangerous, and is dangerous, if not taken under the supervision of a doctor for medical reasons. That being said, the doctor who administered the blood test should have told you if 37.7 was low, and what should/can be done about it. Considering a years supply of EPO can run tens of thousands of dollars (i think), i dont think youd want to go that route unless it was medically necessary. No one needs a few minutes shaved off an amateur race that much. Plus its illegal (for the pros).

 

[aussie71]

Originally posted by mjh
Recently had some blood tests performed and found my HCT level to be 37.7. This wasn't done for cycling reasons, but I'm curious if anyone knows what a typical age grouper level would be and if there are ways to increase it without doping? Will certain training proceesses tend to improve it?

Hi
From the Hct u have supplied i would guess that u are female. If so the rr for Hct is 0.37 - 0.47. However there is more to consider if u are trying to analyse red cell indices.

For instance Hct = MCV x RCC.

and what is your Hb result??? Haemoglobin as u know is the functional capacity of your blood. This will tend to move slightly up or down as dehydration sets in as its value is stated as a conc of the blood. It is not at all uncommon to see Hb results rise significantly in the presence of minimal dehydration. This arteffactual increase is however just that...artefact and of no consequence.

As far as "You could take a syringe and withdraw some of your own blood and freeze it" dont ever do this. This is ridiculous to even consider as under uncontrolled conditions u may do more harm than good.

The extent of your O2 carrying capacity should be obvious in the way u feel before ,during and after exercise. If u would like to post ur whole fullblood picture results i would be happy to provide some education as to what the parameters may or may not suggest. PS I am a qualified medical scientist and have seen thousands of FBP results and associated clinical histories.

 

[mjh]

aussie71 Your scaring me, I'm not a female I'm a he-man. I had blood test done as a routine physical exam, wasn't looking for or expecting anything really. When the doc read through the results and mentioned Hct he caught my attention, always thinking about performance you know. Anyways, other than high BP all my blood work readings were good, according to doc. Although he wasn't looking at the results in terms of athletic performance. HGB (if thats Hemaglobin) was 13.6. RBC=4.22, CO2=31. There are 40 or so items indicated, I'll scan and post the results when I get to the office, your imput will be most enlightening and appreciated

Thanks for the response.
Mike

 

[aussie71]

Age and weight would be good to note

 

[aussie71]

Essentially the results could not get more normal. Renal and liver function tests are normal and the full blood picture is normal. A few cliches spring to mind: "Dont go lookin for snakes... " and "If it ain't broke dont fix it". One would not normally go looking any further with normal results coupled with no symptoms/complaints/clinical signs.
These tests are first line screening tests and as stated have returned with no cause for concern.

I will try not to miss the point, the haematocrit. Which of course is that fraction of the blood being cellular. For example a
Hct = 0.377 means that 37.7% of the specimen contains red cells. Please note that the white cell count is roughly 1/500th that of the RCC (red cell count) and its contribution to the Hct
is negligable. And conversely the water fraction (plasma) is the compliment. ie 62.3%. The Hct is also known as the PCV or packed cell volume.

It was slightly silly of me to assume that your Hct was that of a female. Apologies. However the assumption was purely based on the different reference ranges between men and women. Nothing to raise the alarm here. In fact given your ability as an ultra-type athlete and your general self perspective of your own health I would have no further comment.

On a personal note however and purely based upon informal discussion with colleagues and experience the following is noted. We see the Hct/Hb of smokers being raised to the higher end of the reference range. This does not convey an advantage. The reason for their elevated HB/Hct is almost certainly due
to compensatory mechanisms. A large amt of there Hb exists as CarboxyHb. The tissue response to this subclinical hypoxia is to produce extra redcells and hence Hct/Hb goes up. With this in mind consider how efficient your O2 carrying capacity must be!!
is?? I would argue that it is A1 considering that at 38% you are very functional. Do not be alarmed as reference ranges are just that...ranges... and are derived from a population. SOmetimes the more is not better.

If you are concerned and want to dig further may i suggest that u question your general practitioner about your red cell haematinics (hematinics). These include red cell folate and iron studies. The latter serves to indicate your tissue iron stores that feed your red cell/ Hb production. A blood test will confirm your health inquiry.

A word of warning... I guarantee you will find nothing of concern from what you hav told me. Hope this answers curiosity.

 

[Renderdog]

Thanks aussie71 for the interesting information on low hematocrit. I also race with a low hematocrit and I often wonder why I can compete well (sometimes . The compensating mechanisms seem to be a logical explanation.

There seems to be some health advantages to "thin" blood, so it has it's benefits. I've always been borderline anemic so I take an iron supplement, though I'm not sure how much that helps. I told the doctor I was taking an iron supplement (100% RDA) and he recommended I continue taking them. I also try to eat red meat regularly.

I've been keeping my eye on Intermittent Hypoxic Training devices, in the $7K range but a less expensive $2K version is in the works. I understand not everyone benefits from IHT, something about the Serrum Ferritin at least 40ug/l, but I wonder if this might help place my hemotocrit in the normal range.

 

[aussie71]

I understand not everyone benefits from IHT, something about the Serrum Ferritin at least 40ug/l, but I wonder if this might help place my hemotocrit in the normal range. [/B][/QUOTE]

Ferritin is the tissue storage form of iron. The serum ferritin is an indicator of this storage. Reference ranges in AUstralia start at 25ug/L. The rule is that u need iron to produce functional Hb. It doesnt matter what u do to incite red blood cell formation, IHT etc... if u do not have the steel to construct(Scuse the pun).
The principle behind IHT is similar to the explanation i gave of a smoker and their Hct/Hb. Compensatory mechanisms are in place to negate the reduced O2 tension such as that in high altitudes.

In the iron deficient one would see red blood cell formation (erythropoesis, phonetic ee-reeth-row-poy-eesis )
struggle to produce normal red cells. I would check your serum ferritin first before trying to raise Hct levels. IHT in the individual with borderline iron stores may incite clinical iron deficiency. In theory

 

[aussie71]

Originally posted by Renderdog
I've always been borderline anemic so I take an iron supplement, though I'm not sure how much that helps. I told the doctor I was taking an iron supplement (100% RDA) and he recommended I continue taking them. I also try to eat red meat regularly.

Vitamin C assists the absorption of iron in the gut. I have also heard of a recomendation where one should limit fluid intake 20 min before and after eating so as to not dilute stomach acids.
This may help?

 

[Renderdog]

Originally posted by aussie71
Vitamin C assists the absorption of iron in the gut. I have also heard of a recomendation where one should limit fluid intake 20 min before and after eating so as to not dilute stomach acids.
This may help?

Thanks for the tip. I've always "drank" my food, so I've started having meals without so much to drink.

I'd read that vitamin C helps. I've also read that Vitamin E hinders iron absorbsion, so I take it in the morning, the Iron later.

 

[aussie71]

Although drinking OJ would seem to be irrational. I would suggest taking a solid tablet form of vit C or even better, an orange!
"An apple a day..." what they really meant was "An orange..."

Cheers

 

[Renderdog]

I'm a big believer there are things in food that Vitamins may not provide, so I eat an orange in the morning and a grapefruit at night. They taste a lot better than the pills, too!

But I take a multi, C, E, Iron, and fish oil, mostly as insurance because my diet isn't always balanced.

 

[Chemicalanarchy]

You need oral iron and injectable b12 with folic acid, b6 and b1 if you can get it.

B12 works minimally or not at all via oral, so inject is the only option.

 

[mjh]

Thanks for all the info Aussie 71. One last question. All other things being equal would a higher Hct reading, say 10% higher mean a 10% improvement in endurance?

Mike

 

[Chemicalanarchy]

Originally posted by mjh
Thanks for all the info Aussie 71. One last question. All other things being equal would a higher Hct reading, say 10% higher mean a 10% improvement in endurance?

Mike

Depends on what your base hematocrit is and what type events you do.

 

[mjh]

Originally posted by Chemicalanarchy
Depends on what your base hematocrit is and what type events you do.

Lets say the base is 37.7 and the event is cycling.

mjh

 

[aussie71]

Originally posted by mjh
Thanks for all the info Aussie 71. One last question. All other things being equal would a higher Hct reading, say 10% higher mean a 10% improvement in endurance?

Mike

I dont think that there is a linear relationship but one nonetheless.
I would say that there would be an improvement only if the STIMULUS for increasing the Hct was a natural process. For instance, my boss has a Hct = 0.48 and mine is 0.44. He is a smoker and i am not. Do u think he would perform better than I?

Afterall if one raises their Hct by physical exercise then it would follow that the body has responded and adapted. Adaptation is what leads to sticking points in our progress. Consequently we must vary our training to see constant improvement. What if your body adapts by a different mechanism, ie improvement in heart stroke volume. Tissue O2 perfusion would improve and there would be no need for a haematological adaptation. If we adapt (thru training) haematologically then we are improving...yes?but in the absence of haem improvement the opposite is not neccessarily true!
And so i guess it is not whether the Hct rises so much as the simple fact that there is an improvement and adaptation. By any means!!! How one measures improvement is individual. Consider if my smokin boss gave up the cigs and started riding. His Hct would go down yet he would be fitter. Consider all variables before making a conclusion to your health and performance.
Lastly, I would say that the Hct is that 1% difference that those of the elite fraternity strive to improve to gain a marginal win..But a win is a win.

 

[aussie71]

It would be too hard to isolate this one variable (hct) to prove the hypothesis.