A Closer Look: Can drug-fuelled sports provide insight into human longevity?

In A Closer Look, The National provides an in-depth take on one of the main stories of the week.

Claims have been made that a proposed controversial athletic competition, fuelled by banned performance-enhancing drugs, could bring about research to benefit human longevity.

Hundreds of athletes have signed up for the Enhanced Games, planned for next year, as they seek to push the boundaries of human performance while using substances prohibited by the International Olympic Committee.

But could the event provide some unexpected benefits by providing key insights into health and ageing?

Here, host Sarah Forster speaks to The National's health editor Nick Webster about what scientists could discover when athletes push themselves to the limit.

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