Minty test for run
The cool, fresh menthol hit from a lolly or stick of chewing gum could provide answers which help boost exercise performance.
Endurance runner and Wintec staff member Russell Best started his PhD on the effects of menthol on exercise performance in the heat in the UK but brought it to Waikato.
Menthol is an alcohol derived from mint and can be bought in crystal form. Applied to the skin, it provides a cooling sensation.
‘‘If you put in in your mouth, it has that familiar feeling of chewing gum or mouthwash,’’ Best said. ‘‘That’s a freshness, that big hit, and a feeling of opening up your airways as well.’’
This month, Best won the 12km Lugton’s Round the Bridge fun run in a time of 39 minutes but has chosen not to use menthol himself so he remains objective.
Instead, he wants to test it on people doing the Raglan Karioi Trail – the mountain run on Waikato’s west coast held on December 9 – and is calling for runners to be a part of his study.
‘‘We need this race to confirm our suspicions before using it solely for performance and not just for comfort,’’ he said.
Chewing gum might work but it’s yet to be tested, Best said. He makes a sports drink solution – the cooling lasts for a few minutes – and he’s testing colours in blue and green. It could become a viable commercial product.
‘‘We have an improvement in performance and we think that’s driven by an improvement in how hot you feel,’’ Best said. ‘‘We make people feel cooler for longer and that allows them to push a but harder.’’
But that could lead to athletes feeling less thirsty. It’s one of the effects Best – who works at Wintec’s Centre for Sports Science and Human Performance – will test as his research continues.
‘‘Maybe we need to use it alongside water. We can’t just do away with water altogether because menthol can also satisfy thirst. With it feeling cool, you ignore that thirst response.’’