FIFA World Cup 2022 Special: Why football players spit on field?
Football fanatics are experiencing a high adrenaline rush as the FIFA World Cup 2022 has started in Qatar. If you are a football fan and watch the matches regularly, you have noticed that the players continuously spit on the field during the game. However, it is disgusting to watch, but it has a scientific explanation.
Why Spit?
As per some studies, physically strenuous activities and excessive workouts trigger the protein secreted into the saliva and increase it, especially a kind of mucus called MUC5B. Due to this, the saliva becomes thicker and more difficult to swallow.
That is why cricketers, rugby players, and specially football players are allowed to spit on the ground. On the other hand, if a tennis and basketball player spits on the ground during the game, he will be penalized.
However, the studies have not revealed why athletes produce more MUC5B while playing or performing physically strenuous activities. Another theory says, it could be because they breathe through their mouth more, and therefore the mucus stops the mouth from drying out.
Carb Rinsing
Football players who engage in carb rinsing wash their mouths with a carbohydrate solution before spitting it out. This is supposed to deceive the body, particularly the brain, into believing that the person is consuming carbohydrates, causing the body to act as though it does.
First published: 23 November 2022, 18:37 IST