Adam’s Journal
I should open by stating that I have no plans to climb Mount Everest, nor any similar peak. But I have always been intrigued by high-altitude mountaineering, and my interest was piqued when I read about a British expedition this year that summited the world’s tallest mountain not long after inhaling xenon gas.
Can breathing in a gas really make a person a better mountaineer? And is it dangerous?
Dr. Scofield Prescribes
Xenon is an inert, odorless gas. While not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it is used in some countries as a surgical anesthetic.
When it is inhaled, it has the potential to stimulate a process called erythropoiesis, the production of red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the muscles, and when you have more of them, that can enhance athletic performance.
This is particularly true in sports that require endurance. Increased red blood cell production is also beneficial for activities that take place in a low-oxygen environment.
So, it makes sense that mountaineers might inhale the gas ahead of an ascent in hopes that it would boost performance in a sport that both requires endurance and takes place at dizzying, oxygen-poor altitudes.
In 2014, in the wake of rumors that endurance athletes had inhaled the gas both before and during the Sochi Winter Olympics, the World Anti-Doping Agency placed xenon on its prohibited substance list. The ban is based on xenon’s potential to enhance performance, its violation of “the spirit of sport,” plus the possibility that users would become sedated or even lose consciousness if they inadvertently breathed in too much of the gas.
Still, the evidence that xenon gas actually improves athletic performance is mixed at best. A small clinical study has shown that, in the short term, xenon exposure increases the concentration of a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production. However, that same study failed to demonstrate that longer-term use of the gas resulted in significant increase in the hormone – or that it caused gains in red-cell production, cardiorespiratory fitness or athletic performance.
Mountaineering is not an officially sanctioned competitive sport, so the anti-doping guidelines do not apply to climbers. Nevertheless, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Foundation has issued a statement discouraging its use, citing both the lack of evidence xenon improves performance and its potential dangers in high-altitude settings, where even slightly dulled senses could prove lethal.
If you ever change your mind and decide to take up a climbing habit, I’d steer clear of xenon gas or other purported alpine hacks. For summiting, I’d ditch the chemical enhancements in favor of good, old-fashioned training.
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Dr. Hal Scofield is a physician-scientist at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and he also serves as Associate Chief of Staff for Research at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center. Adam Cohen is OMRF’s senior vice president and general counsel. Send your health questions to contact@omrf.org.
