Why Players Chug Pickle Juice on the Bench, and Whether It Actually Works

The sourest trend in soccer has a surprisingly neurological explanation.

<p>Cameras keep catching it: a cramping player grimacing through a small bottle of pickle juice. It looks like locker-room folklore. The science is stranger than the folklore.</p>

<p>The old theory said it replaced salt. But studies found cramps can ease within about 90 seconds of a swig, far too fast for the sodium to even be absorbed.</p>

<p>The leading explanation now: the intense sour taste fires receptors in the mouth and throat that seem to calm the overexcited nerves driving the cramp, a reflex, not a refuel.</p>

<p>Verdict from researchers: evidence is promising but not settled. Verdict from players mid-cramp in extra time: pass the bottle.</p>