12/01/2019
Pickle juice for cramping?
A lot of our athletes are trying to prevent cramping by ingesting isotonic drinks or pickle juice. But did you know that electrolytes imbalance is not always the reason for cramps?
In 2010, Milleret al. published the famous “Pickle Juice" study. It was found that ingesting small volumes of pickle juice (30 to 60 ml) caused cramps to stop in ~ 30 sec. This response is much quicker than the amount of time it takes blood-electrolyte concentrations to change from ingesting any liquid, hence, it was not the sodium in the pickle juice that was helping to correct an electrolyte imbalance, but something else.
They were not sure which ingredient in pickle juice minimize cramps but they did postulate that it must have triggered a neural reflex in the mouth/esophagus which reduced alpha motor neuron activity to the cramping muscle (if you do not remember what those are, go back to yesterday's post).
Now-days, we know that pickle juice may be stimulating transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. Many of these TRP channels can be activated by spices such as red pepper, menthol, cinnamon, ginger, mustard, and more.
What this means is that strong sensory stimuli by these spices can potentially cause alpha motor neurons to become less excited which would in turn diminish a cramp.
Are these the future of supplements? Time will tell...
