The New York Times recently interviewed Kevin C. Miller, assistant professor of health, nutrition and exercise science, on his research on causes, treatments and prevention strategies for exercise-associated muscle cramps. Miller’s article, “Phys Ed: Can Pickle Juice Stop Muscle Cramps?” focused on a study he conducted on whether pickle juice would relieve a muscle cramp after exercise.
The double blind study consisted of having 10 male subjects exercise until they were mildly dehydrated. A cramp was then induced in a muscle in the big toe and the duration of the cramps was recorded. After 30 minutes of rest, another cramp was induced, but this time subjects drank 2.5 ounces of either de-ionized water or pickle juice. When subjects ingested pickle juice, the cramps subsided 45 percent faster than when nothing was ingested and 37 percent faster than when the subjects drank water.
Since the cramps were alleviated so quickly and with no changes in blood chemistry, Miller believes exhaustion may be the cause of exercise-associated muscle cramps, not dehydration as was previously thought. He speculates the vinegar in the juice activates receptors in the mouth, which then send signals to the brain that tell the muscles to stop cramping. Miller says more research is needed because it is difficult to induce a true sports cramp in the lab.
For more information, please visit: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/phys-ed-can-pickle-juice-stop-muscle-cramps/?src=mv&ref=health