TThe first sips of water I even have after an extended run are delicious. They’re refreshing and life-giving, yes, but so is water flavors good. More precisely, it tastes sweet.
Which, when I finished serious about it sooner or later in the course of a sip, struck me as odd. Isn’t water the famous, um, neutral taste? And why does it taste different after one among my long runs?
I can not imagine things: A systematic literature review on the connection between taste and exercise found that the intensity and sensitivity of the sweet taste increases after intense exercise. However, Jason Machowskiexercise physiologist and registered dietician in Special Surgery Hospital in New York, says why this is going on just isn’t so clear.
“There doesn’t appear to be a well-studied reason for this,” says Machowsky. But there are numerous theories.
The first hypothesis concerns the thought of ”heightened sensitivity”. Machowsky explains that there are minerals within the water that some people taste sweet, so after an intense workout, these minerals can taste even sweeter.
In a related (but semi-disgusting) explanation, your post-workout water may dredge up old food particles or residue in your mouth that you just re-taste in a more dramatic way due to this sensitivity.
Or something completely different may very well be happening. You could have heard of “ketosis”, a metabolic state where the body burns fat as an alternative of carbs (achieving ketosis is the goal of the keto eating regimen). This condition occurs when glycogen stores (derived from carbohydrates) are depleted, so the body turns to fat for energy. What, other than the keto eating regimen, could cause someone to review their glycogen stores and use fat as an alternative? Intense, prolonged exercise.
Being in ketosis can have some physical symptoms, including – wait – sweet breath.
“Sweet” taste or aroma [the] breath is a byproduct of the breakdown of ketones into energy,” says Machowsky. So drinking water and noticing a sweet taste could also be because of the interaction of the water and your personal breath. However, Machowsky notes that this might only occur if someone was following a strict ketogenic eating regimen or in the event that they were performing “continuous activity to significantly deplete glycogen reserves.” So not any old training would cause it – you’d probably should do aerobic exercise for approx an hour and 45 minutes before hitting this point.
A ketogenic state that leads to sweet breath just isn’t something you must necessarily strive for. For individuals with diabetes specifically, a sweet taste or sweet breath generally is a warning sign that their glycogen stores are low.
“People with diabetes who exercise when their blood sugar levels should not well regulated or too high (>250 mg/dL) may experience ketone production, indicating that their body is misusing glucose within the body for energy and will be running into ketones as energy,” says Machowsky. “Intense exercise can sometimes exacerbate the condition.”
That’s why Machowsky advises that “if you could have diabetes and your blood sugar is just too high, it is best to do low-intensity activity (reminiscent of walking) or bring your blood sugar back right into a safer range before starting high-intensity exercise.”
No matter what your post-workout water tastes like, you could have to confess that the best way our bodies power our movement is wonderful. So make certain you are getting proper nutrition and many rest between workouts so you’ll be able to keep living that sweet life.
