Instant boost (Image: Eric Gaillard/Reuters/Action Images)
IF YOU spit out an energy drink after taking a sip, it could still boost your strength. This pre-digestive effect is immediate and seems due to a newly discovered neural pathway that links taste buds to muscles.
Nicholas Gant at the University of Auckland in New Zealand previously showed that mouth-rinsing and then spitting out a carbohydrate solution immediately improved performance at sprinting and cycling – even though it takes at least 10 minutes for carbohydrates to be digested and utilised by muscles.
This time, Gant’s team had 16 participants tire out their biceps by…
