Blood doping blood doping. Experimental evidence, however, has shown that cobalamin has no effect on erythropoiesis in the absence of a red blood cell/oxygen deficiency. These results seem to confirm much of what is already known about the functioning of cobalamin. The signaling pathway that induces erythropoietin secretion and subsequently red blood cell manufacture using cobalamin is O dependent. Erythropoietin is only secreted in the kidneys when there is an O deficiency, as such, RBC manufacture is independent of the amount of cobalamin administered when there is no O deficiency. Accordingly, cobalamin is of little to no value in blood doping. More
Blood cell are based on the inappropriate production of white blood cells. Platelets, or "thrombocytes", are very small, irregularly shaped clear cell fragments, 2–3 µm in diameter, which derive from fragmentation of megakaryocytes. The average lifespan of a platelet is normally just 5 to 9 days. Platelets are a natural source of growth factors. They circulate in the blood of mammals and are involved in hemostasis, leading to the formation of blood clots. Platelets release thread-like fibers to form these clots. If the number of platelets is too low, excessive bleeding can occur. However, if the number of platelets is too high,