The health reasons behind players' rude habits on the pitch

Players often spit because their saliva thickens when they play sports .

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is underway in Qatar. If you have watched any of the matches so far or in other tournaments, you have definitely noticed that players often spit on the field during matches. Why do they do it? According to experts, there are a number of medical factors that lead to this habit.

According to Dr. Udit Kapoor, Senior Consultant, Asian Hospital, Faridabad (India), saliva in the mouth thickens when a person participates in physically demanding activities such as football matches. Therefore, players should spit it out .

Portuguese football player Ronaldo. (Photo: Balls).

'A type of mucus called MUC5B makes saliva thicker and therefore harder to swallow . So it's best to spit it out ,' Dr Kapoor explains, explaining why footballers, cricketers and rugby players are allowed to spit on the ground.

Dr Nandlal Pathak, orthopedist and sports physiotherapist, shares the same view. Dr Pathak told Indianexpress that saliva thickens immediately after any exercise or physical activity.

Salivary proteins may be amylase, lysozyme, lactoferrin, chromogranin A or MUC5B, which are regulated by the autonomic nervous system and the immune system.

Dr Pathak mentioned another reason is dehydration, which occurs when players breathe through their mouths. Dehydration causes water to evaporate. Sweating also causes dehydration, which leads to thickening of saliva, so players have to spit more.

Although athletes can swallow saliva, they often spit it out if the amount is too much.

You can also see athletes drinking water and spitting it out during halftime or even while the game is in progress.

This method, called carbohydrate water gargling, involves spitting out a carbohydrate solution. Several studies have shown that gargling like this can boost athletic performance, as opposed to sipping water, which can cause gastrointestinal problems like bloating.

Research published in the European Journal of Sports Science found that rinsing your mouth with carbohydrates improved athletic performance . The authors looked at data from 12 healthy men in their 20s and found that they were able to jump higher, do more squats, sprint faster, and were more alert after rinsing their mouths with carbohydrates.

Another similar analysis published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that 12 male athletes experienced less fatigue after rinsing their mouths with carbohydrates.

However, a study published in the Journal of Sports Science found no significant difference in performance for those participating in endurance activities.

Fifteen female athletes ran for 60 minutes, once with and once without a carbohydrate rinse. The carbohydrate solution did not appear to be effective. Thus, carbohydrate rinsing has more of an impact on fast, immediate activities such as sprinting than on long-distance, endurance events.

' Carbohydrate rinsing is primarily used to enhance performance in activities that require sprinting, ' says Dr Pathak . 'In addition, it has no effect on reducing the concentration of proteins in the mouth, which are the main cause of thick saliva . '