After winning the ATP Finals in Beijing Carlos Alcaraz He won his fourth trophy of the season. This new victory now puts him level with his great rival Jannik Sinner in terms of trophies, as well as his mentor Juan Carlos Ferrero. And all this at just 21 years old. It is clear that his technique and physical form are exceptional. After watching his latest performance, it seems that the only ones capable of standing up to him are convulsionsthe appearance of which has already brought him some defeat. However, even this has its own trick: drink cucumber juice.
He didn’t come up with this. Over the past 25 years, many athletes have tried drinking this vinegar liquid to avoid cramps during exercise. It is especially common among cyclists, athletes and football players, but everyone can benefit from it. Or so they say.
The problem is that it is not clear why this drug works against seizures. Some scientists believe this is a placebo effect. However, Carlos Alcaraz probably thinks differently. Like the opinion of other researchers who have hypothesis about this. This is not fully proven, but it makes some sense.
What are cramps?
Before we talk about Carlos Alcaraz’s home remedies, it is worth remembering what cramps are. They mainly consist of involuntary and very painful contractions of skeletal muscles.. They may occur during or after exercise. Apart from pain, the main problem occurs when it occurs during exercise as it can affect the muscles attached to multiple joints, making movement very difficult.
The origin of the seizures is not entirely clear. On the one hand, we can talk about dehydration. When you lose water through sweat, the space between cells shrinks, causing the concentration of certain excitatory neurochemicals to increase. They promote the excitation of neurons, which leads to muscle contraction, so this happens involuntarily.
On the other hand, it is possible that fatigue change the excitatory or inhibitory stimuli of these neurons. Or maybe it’s for real combination both hypotheses.
Why do pickles help Carlos Alcaraz?
During the match that brought him victory at Roland Garros, Carlos Alcaraz began to experience terrible cramps. Therefore, before the final set, he made a choice in favor of drink liquid from pickles. According to him, this is partly what helped him perform as well as he did. There was no more pain.
When other athletes began noticing similar effects in the past, the scientists who studied it initially thought it might be due to sodium. The pickling liquid is mainly vinegar and salt. It has been observed that the lack of sodium in salt can alter the balance between excitation and inhibition of motor neurons. The same thing happens with potassium deficiencywhich is also accompanied by sweating.
However, in a case study conducted by researchers at the University of Iowa, it was observed that vinegar On its own, it may also provide these anti-seizure benefits. Moreover, another study observed that plasma electrolyte levels did not change any differently than when drinking water or sports drinks. Thus, the benefits that Carlos Alcaraz experienced may be a result of the vinegar rather than the salt.
This is where the scientist’s hypothesis comes into play. Yulia Georgievafrom the University of Austin (Australia). According to a study conducted by his team in 2021, it is possible that sour taste of vinegar When it reaches the back of the throat, it triggers a reflex response in neurons that causes seizures.
This hypothesis was supported by another group of scientists from two American universities. In their study, it was observed that consumption 1 ml brine liquid per kg body weight helps reduce the duration of cramps, so they are less likely to interfere with performance during training.
We don’t know if this is a placebo effect; But since Carlos Alcaraz says it helps him, we have nothing to lose by trying it. Remember: 1 ml/kg. Unfortunately, you won’t become Carlos Alcaraz, but you might save some money. muscle pain.
Source: Hiper Textual
