Red Blood Cell Increase Leads to Increased Endurance. Here's some more info:
Blood Doping – Physical Performance Enhancements and Potential Harmful Side-Effects
Colby Phillips
...Energy for exercise comes from the oxidation of fuel, and capacity to consume oxygen is a limiting factor for endurance performance. Athletes often use high-altitude training to enhance their physical endurance by increasing the efficiency of their blood in delivering oxygen their muscles. However some athletes try to gain this advantage by taking a "short cut," and use artificial blood doping methods to achieve similar results.
Most cells in the blood are erythrocytes, or red blood cells, and their function is to carry respiratory gases, mainly oxygen, through the circulatory system. Red blood cells are red because they contain the oxygen-binding pigment hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs. Red blood cells are created by stem cells in the bone marrow, and their production is regulated by the hormone erythropoietin, which is released by the kidneys. When there is insufficient oxygen in the tissue (called hypoxia), the kidneys produce erythropoietin which stimulates the production of more red blood cells, which will help carry more oxygen to the tissue.
Increasing the oxygen carrying ability of the blood by increasing the number of red blood cells will help increase physical endurance. At higher altitudes, the body adapts to the thinner air with less oxygen by releasing the hormone erythropoietin to create more red blood cells, and increasing the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. This allows the blood to carry more oxygen from the lungs to the muscles (like in the legs). Many athletes live and train at high altitudes to raise the oxygen carrying capacity of their blood and increase their performance in athletic events that are held at lower altitudes. The increased performance effect lasts for about 2-6 weeks...
Blood Doping – Physical Performance Enhancements and Potential Harmful Side-Effects
Colby Phillips
...Energy for exercise comes from the oxidation of fuel, and capacity to consume oxygen is a limiting factor for endurance performance. Athletes often use high-altitude training to enhance their physical endurance by increasing the efficiency of their blood in delivering oxygen their muscles. However some athletes try to gain this advantage by taking a "short cut," and use artificial blood doping methods to achieve similar results.
Most cells in the blood are erythrocytes, or red blood cells, and their function is to carry respiratory gases, mainly oxygen, through the circulatory system. Red blood cells are red because they contain the oxygen-binding pigment hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs. Red blood cells are created by stem cells in the bone marrow, and their production is regulated by the hormone erythropoietin, which is released by the kidneys. When there is insufficient oxygen in the tissue (called hypoxia), the kidneys produce erythropoietin which stimulates the production of more red blood cells, which will help carry more oxygen to the tissue.
Increasing the oxygen carrying ability of the blood by increasing the number of red blood cells will help increase physical endurance. At higher altitudes, the body adapts to the thinner air with less oxygen by releasing the hormone erythropoietin to create more red blood cells, and increasing the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. This allows the blood to carry more oxygen from the lungs to the muscles (like in the legs). Many athletes live and train at high altitudes to raise the oxygen carrying capacity of their blood and increase their performance in athletic events that are held at lower altitudes. The increased performance effect lasts for about 2-6 weeks...
