Errol Morrison, M.D., Ph.D., the president of the University of Technology in Jamaica, believes that naturally-occurring steroids in the yellow yam contribute to the success of sprinters like Olympic champion Usain “Lightning” Bolt. Bolt is currently considered the “world’s fastest man” having set current world records in the 100 meters and 200 meters with times of 9.58 seconds and 19.19 seconds, respectively.
Professor Morrison told the Jamaica Observer newspaper that lifelong exposure to the “anabolic steroids” in yellow yams and “phytates” in green bananas combined with organized youth track programs help explain the recent dominance of Jamaican sprinters in international track events.
“What is happening is it is a staple diet, so our young people who are using these staple crops are being exposed to these ‘anabolic steroids’ from very early and Jamaica is the only country with organised programmes from infancy,” according to Morrison. “So you are putting up a stress and demand on these muscle groups which is being further pushed by these ‘anabolic steroids’ they are going to have an advantage and they are going to grow with that and by the time they are hitting the late teens you should be seeing some responsive muscle mass.”
The existence of plant steroids in yams has been known for some time. The American chemist Russell Marker discovered that certain varieties of yams contained high amounts of a naturally-occurring plant steroid called diosgenin in the 1930s. This discovery allowed the inexpensive synthesis of various human pharmaceutical steroids opening the door for the steroid revolution in medicine during the 1940s and 1950s.
While plant steroids can be synthesized into powerful anabolic steroids in the laboratory, it is doubtful that the consumption of rich sources of plant steroids such as yellow yams can have any meaningful effect on performance enhancement. Nonetheless, perhaps yellow yams and green bananas will still become the latest performance-enhancing substances to come under suspicion by international anti-doping agencies!
Photo credit: Erik van Leeuwen
Source:
Jamaica Observer. (July 26, 2011). Prof Morrison tells why Jamaicans run so fast. Retrieved from http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sports/Prof-Morrison-tells-why-Jamaicans-run-so-fast_9306187
Related Posts :
- Russian Athlete Tells Olympic Officials to Go to Hell After Testing Positive for Steroids
- Shotputter Adam Nelson May Receive Athens Gold After Winner Tested Positive for Steroids
- Officials Still Catching Steroid Users from the 2004 Athens Olympics
- Olympic Discus Thrower Loses Silver Medal After Testing Positive for Anabolic Steroids
