Did you notice? Players on the field often have a very strange move – gargle, is it for oral hygiene? Do they just rinse with regular water?
It turns out that this is not as simple as “gargle with a mouthwash”, nor is it for oral cleaning, but the sugar water gargling method (also known as Carb Rinsing), which is quite popular in the sports nutrition industry in recent years.
The sugar water gargle method, in fact, as early as 2004, a related study confirmed that foreign sports nutrition scholar Asker Jeukendrup and his team recruited a group of cyclists, each of whom performed 40 kilometers twice. In the timed tests, athletes were asked to rinse their mouths for 5 seconds with a sugar-sweetened drink every about 8 minutes; in the other, they rinsed their mouths with water only.
It was found that the test results of gargling with sugar water were on average more than 1 minute faster than gargling with water. To this end, the team proposed the “Mouth-Brain Connection”, which means that gargling with sugar water stimulates the secretions in the oral cavity. The sensory receptor sends a message to the central nervous system of the brain, thinking that food is about to enter the digestive system. When the brain is “deceived”, it will produce a feeling of energy, which in turn reduces the athlete’s conscious effort level , maintain concentration and delay fatigue.
Although gargling with sugar water does help improve sports performance, what should the average person pay attention to when using this method?
30-70 minutes of high-intensity exercise is suitable
Since the sugar water gargling method only deceives the brain “temporarily” and cannot replace the actual sugar supplement, it is recommended to use it for 30-70 minutes of high-intensity intermittent sports, such as football, basketball, volleyball, etc. % of athletic performance.
However, if the exercise exceeds 90 minutes, such as marathon, triathlon, etc., this method is not suitable (the final sprint stage of the marathon is OK), and the actual sugar supplement should be the main thing.
Relieve gastrointestinal discomfort and reduce fatigue during exercise
Some people may experience gastrointestinal discomfort due to drinking too much water or slow absorption of fructose during exercise. For such people, gargling with sugar water is a good way to delay exercise fatigue and avoid gastrointestinal discomfort.
In addition, intense exercise can easily increase the body’s stress hormones, make liver sugar consumption too fast, cause muscle breakdown, increase fatigue, and affect exercise performance. At this time, gargling with sugar water can also improve this problem.
Helps exercise to lose weight
Since the sugar water gargle method does not actually absorb sugar into the body, it will be helpful for those who want to lose weight by exercising. This method is suitable for the total amount of weekly exercise time is not long, but the intensity of each exercise is relatively high. group, allowing it to challenge higher intensity or maintain it for a longer period of time without taking in excess calories.
Beware of hot, humid sports conditions
In a hot and humid sports environment, such as mountain climbing, surfing, outdoor sports, etc., the body water will be lost quickly. At this time, it is still recommended to supplement sugar and water, or drink water and gargle with sugar water.
Rinse every 10-20 minutes, 5-10 seconds each time
The sugar water gargling effect lasts for about 10 to 20 minutes, so this can be used as a reference for the frequency of gargling, about 5 to 10 seconds each time.
As for the choice of sugar water, since sugar is not actually ingested into the body, if you simply rinse your mouth, you can actually use sugar-sweetened beverages; but if there is also an actual demand for ingestion at the same time, like a football player, you may use two methods at the same time: sugar water rinse If you add sugar supplements by mouth, it is recommended to supplement complex sugars (such as sports drinks), because the body receptors of glucose and fructose are different, and the intake will work like two cars in the body, importing sugar into the body for supply. The energy required by the body will increase the effect of improving sports performance.
If you want to make your own, add 6-8 sugar cubes (glucose) to 1 liter of water, or mix 500 ml of water with natural 100% fruit juice. If you want to replenish electrolytes, you can add another quarter A teaspoon of salt makes a great homemade sports drink!
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