Just every now and then, my train ride home in the evening is brightened up by some story I find in the (generally inane) free newspaper that I pick up from King’s Cross.
Today it was a brief note about a story printed earlier in the day by another newspaper (one you actually have to pay for – in fact, most things in the free papers can be considered to be recycled news, however, I digress) – something along the lines of ‘negative ions improve the performance of footballers’…!
So, I duly follow up when I get home and check out the original story, that can be found here.
It basically goes like this: negatively charged ions in the football shirts kick off a sequence of events in the body that ultimately leads to increased blood flow and speedier removal of lactic acid and an overall 2.7% increase in ‘mean power’… and that means you could score more goals, perhaps.
On this matter I’m somewhat of a skeptical chemist – what about you?
Stuart
Stuart Cantrill (Senior Editor, Nature Nanotechnology)
Offer Uncle Al a van de Graaf generator franchise in every lockerroom and he will support placebo effects 110%. Given that diamond has a negative work function into vacuum, an upscale CVD implementation follows for professional athletes’ uniforms. And why pay power bills for stadium lighting?
Well it is in the Daily Mail. Say no more.
That sounds similar to the likes of Gatorade, Powerade, and other “replenishing sports drinks”. I’ve always been a bit skeptical about their viability.
“Gatorade Thirst Quencher contains a blend of lab-tested electrolytes – sodium, potassium and chloride – to replenish the minerals athletes lose through sweat during exercise and competition. (1, 2, 3) Electrolytes help regulate a number of body functions, and athletes with a substantial electrolyte deficit may experience muscle cramping, heat stress and fatigue. In addition to replacing what is lost through sweat, the electrolytes in Gatorade trigger activation of the body’s thirst mechanism, encouraging athletes to fully hydrate themselves. (1, 4)”
1. Wilk, B. and Bar-Or, O. J Appl Physiol, 80:1112-1117, 1996.
2. Meyer, F. et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 24:776-781, 1992.
3. Vrijens, D.M.J. and Rehrer, N.J. J Appl Physiol, 86:1847-1851, 1999.
4. Passe, D.H. et al. Appetite 35:219-229, 2000.