Diuretics are pharmacological agents widely used in professional bodybuilding for “cutting“.
Their ability to quickly change weight readings in a downward direction has earned them a reputation among those losing weight as means for rapid weight loss. However, as will be shown below, based on their mechanism of action, they are useless for weight loss (in terms of fat burning).
Despite their seemingly harmless nature, simple diuretics (this is another name for diuretics) are one of the most dangerous drugs in sports pharmacology in bodybuilding: most of the deaths that occur there, especially during the preparation for competitions and directly during performances, are related to their use.
In this article, we will discuss the mechanism of action of diuretics, their types, and possible side effects.
What are diuretics?
Diuretics are diuretic agents that promote the removal of fluid from the body.
In bodybuilding, this helps achieve clear muscle definition, leanness, and reduce weight, which allows for competition in a different weight category.
Initially, diuretics were invented for use in medicine to treat hypertension (high blood pressure), kidney diseases, and heart failure.
At high pressure, the “release” of fluid from the body due to diuretics allows for a very quick reduction.
Diuretics alter the natural balance of fluids and salts (electrolytes) in the body and can lead to dehydration. The use of diuretics without medical supervision can lead to acute potassium deficiency and even death.
Diuretics promote the elimination of fluid from the body; this helps achieve definition and also conceal the fact of using banned doping substances.
What are diuretics used for in bodybuilding? An insider’s perspective
Most professional bodybuilders live by the following scenario: months of training for mass gain, followed by several weeks of preparation for competitions or “cutting,” during which the diet is restricted, a lot of cardio exercises are performed, and… pharmacological substances, including diuretics, are taken to achieve definition.
Despite the fact that during performances all pros exude vitality and demonstrate the highest level of physical form, in reality, they are often on the brink of life and death and serious health problems, the cause of which is the use of diuretics or water pills that cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalance in the body, disrupting the normal course of vital life reactions.
To win competitions, three components are important: muscle size, body symmetry, and definition.
To become defined, before competitions, it is necessary to remove not only excess fat from the body but also water from the subcutaneous layer. The thickness of the skin fold is determined by both components.
Diuretics allow for very rapid (within a few days) elimination of excess fluid from the body. This is one of the reasons for their use in bodybuilding.
The other reason lies in the “masking” of the fact of using doping substances, the metabolic products of which are often found in urine. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as “masking agents.”
Despite the fact that during bodybuilding competitions all athletes look like a model of strength, energy, and health, many of them are on the brink of life and death and serious health problems due to the use of diuretics.
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Mechanism of Action of Diuretics
To understand the mechanism of action of diuretics, knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the kidneys is necessary. Let’s try to explain it in simple terms, sufficient to understand how they work and what the risk of serious side effects is associated with.
The kidneys filter unnecessary substances from the blood and control the content of minerals, more precisely their ions, in the internal fluids (electrolytes): they can get rid of their excess by excreting them in urine, or conversely, return them from urine to the system when necessary.
Electrolytes are the internal fluids that fill cells and intercellular spaces and are crucial for the biochemical reactions occurring in the body.
For example, nerve impulses spread from cell to cell due to the transfer of charge across their membranes through an ionic mechanism provided by electrolytes. Muscle contraction is preceded by the passage of a nerve impulse through them.
– How do diuretics work?
The mechanism of action of almost all diuretics is the same: they stimulate the excretion of sodium from the body.
– Why sodium?
A teaspoon of salt, which contains sodium, retains about 2 liters of water in the body. The less sodium in the body, the less fluid, including in the subcutaneous layers.
Diuretics prevent sodium from passing through the filtering elements of the kidneys; it remains in the urine and is excreted during urination.
Behind the apparent simplicity and harmlessness of the mechanism of action lies the reason for the colossal harm of diuretics.
– What is the harm of diuretics?
A deficiency of any one ion, more precisely, a change in the balance between the concentrations of various ions, leads to a disruption of vital functions.
A deficiency of potassium and magnesium, for example, leads to muscle cramps.
Cramps are not a big problem when it comes to the calf muscles or thigh muscles. It’s a different matter when a cramp occurs in the heart muscle…
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The mechanism of action of all diuretics is the same: they stimulate the excretion of sodium, and along with it, fluid.
Types of Diuretics
There are four main types of diuretics: osmotic, potassium-sparing, thiazide, and loop diuretics.
1 Osmotic Diuretics
These are injectable drugs that act on the kidneys, telling them “excrete absolutely everything that comes in.” Such a non-selective mechanism of action, where there is no filtration of beneficial substances and excretion of unnecessary ones, leads to a severe disruption of electrolyte balance.
That is, osmotic diuretics seem to “turn off” the kidneys. This can lead to the development of kidney failure.
Osmotic diuretics are not very common in bodybuilding.
Osmotic diuretics are not common in bodybuilding; their mechanism of action is non-selective, they turn off the kidneys, preventing them from filtering beneficial substances, which leads to a severe imbalance of electrolytes.
2 Potassium-sparing diuretics
This type refers to milder diuretics, but it also has its own drawbacks.
Potassium-sparing diuretics reduce the reabsorption of sodium and water through the kidneys and excrete them from the body. Their main distinction is that they retain potassium (K).
Although they are called mild diuretics due to their gentle mechanism of action, their use can lead to the opposite effect – excess potassium, which also disrupts the electrolyte balance.
If you take potassium supplements along with potassium-sparing diuretics, the concentration of potassium in the blood will increase even more as a result.
In extreme cases, a side effect of their use can be cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and even sudden death.
A good illustration of how dangerous this can be is the fact that one method of execution is the injection of potassium directly into the heart, after which it stops immediately.
Avoid taking potassium dietary supplements; foods containing it do not pose such a danger.
Loss of potassium when using other diuretics (thiazide, loop, osmotic) can lead to muscle weakness, fatigue, pain, and muscle tissue breakdown. In this case, it is recommended to take potassium supplements additionally, along with magnesium, which is also washed out with urine, and in its absence, it is impossible to restore potassium levels.
Potassium-sparing diuretics have a more “gentle” mechanism of action, preventing the excretion of potassium. However, this can lead to an increase in its concentration in the blood, which is no less dangerous than its deficiency.
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3 Loop diuretics
These are the most popular in bodybuilding and the strongest diuretics, which often become the reason for hospitalization and fatal cases in bodybuilding.
They are named so because they act on the part of the kidneys called the loop of Henle.
The most prominent and widely used representative of loop diuretics is Furosemide (brand name Lasix). The reason for its popularity is its low price and availability.
In medicine, this type of diuretics is used to treat high blood pressure and edema, blood infections (to eliminate toxins and foreign agents).
Loop diuretics act directly on the kidneys and, like osmotic diuretics, their mechanism of action is non-selective, meaning they eliminate everything that enters the kidneys.
Their use leads to a severe electrolyte imbalance, as they literally “wash out” potassium, sodium, and calcium from the body.
Side effects of loop diuretics include decreased blood pressure, increased blood viscosity (due to fluid deficiency), fainting, kidney failure, severe cramps due to electrolyte imbalance, and death (due to heart muscle spasms).
They are among the strongest diuretics: if combined with other methods of fluid elimination from the body for “drying out,” they can be extremely dangerous even in small doses.
Loop diuretics are the strongest, most dangerous, and popular in bodybuilding. They have a non-selective mechanism of action, removing everything present in the urine from the body.
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4 Thiazide diuretics
Thiazide diuretics are also non-selective and wash out potassium and magnesium along with fluid. They work by reducing the body’s ability to reabsorb sodium and water, increasing urine volume.
Thiazide diuretics can cause insulin insensitivity and raise blood glucose levels. This makes the body light-sensitive, meaning that using them before tanning or visiting a tanning salon can result in severe burns.
The most popular diuretics in bodybuilding
The most commonly used diuretics in bodybuilding and other sports are:
- thiazide diuretics, such as Diuril (Diuril);
- loop diuretics, such as Furosemide (Lasix) and Bumetanide (Bumetanide);
- potassium-sparing diuretics, such as Spironolactone (spironolactone) or Aldactone (Aldactone).
Another common practice among bodybuilders is the use of combined diuretics, such as Aldactazide, which combines a powerful thiazide diuretic with the potassium-sparing Aldactone.
This combination allows for lower doses of the medication and partially prevents potassium loss that could otherwise occur.
| List of the Most Popular Diuretics in Bodybuilding | |
|---|---|
| Type of Diuretic | Medication Name |
| Thiazide |
|
| Loop |
|
| Potassium-Sparing |
|
| Osmotic |
|
| Combined |
|
Furosemide (Lasix)
Is one of the most popular and powerful diuretics in the world of bodybuilding. Its popularity is explained by its low price and availability.
Furosemide is the strongest and most popular diuretic in bodybuilding
Bumetanide (Bumetanide)
The trade name Bumex is a next-generation loop diuretic. Unlike Lasix, which is only 60% absorbed in the small intestine, Bumex is absorbed at 80% and can be taken with food.
It is 40 times more potent than Lasix, which further increases the risk of harm and side effects when misused.
Bumex turned out to be a secret ingredient in a popular fat burner called StarCaps. It is evident that the weight lost with this supplement consisted solely of water.
Aldactone
Women who use anabolic steroids often use the diuretic Aldactone, as it not only has its direct effect but also blocks androgen cell receptors, which weakens the manifestation of androgenic side effects (the appearance of male sexual characteristics), such as facial and body hair growth.
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How Effective Are Diuretics for Weight Loss?
The benefits and effectiveness of diuretics for weight loss is a rather controversial issue. What do we mean by weight loss? If it’s about reducing body weight – then yes. If it’s about burning fat – then, definitely, no.
Despite the fact that today diuretics are increasingly advertised as a means for weight loss and included in the composition of many fat burners, either explicitly or implicitly (as in the case of Bumex), they are absolutely INEFFECTIVE in reducing fat mass.
Why?
The reason lies in their mechanism of action: they remove fluid from the body, not fat. Moreover, this reduction in body weight is very short-term: once their use is stopped, the weight returns to normal.
But what is more important is that even small doses of diuretics over a short period can lead to severe dehydration and serious side effects.
Undoubtedly, diuretics are not a very good tool for weight loss.
Diuretics for weight loss are absolutely ineffective. All they do is remove a certain amount of water from the body for a short time, which returns to normal after stopping their use.
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Harm of diuretics and side effects
The human body has a colossal reserve of strength, allowing it to adapt to a wide range of the harshest conditions of its own operation. But there is a limit.. which can easily be crossed with the help of diuretics.
Read about the consequences of using diuretics in our article Diuretics: side effects of use in bodybuilding.
