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Post by rmc on Nov 4, 2012 19:00:59 GMT
Posted by Fox Almighty on November 6, 2011, from DCI (Discovery Channel International) Mythbusters forums:
What is up with that myth were our parents always tell us not to go swimming after eating and we need to wait like 30 minutes before we can go swimming.
I've gone swimming across the lake directly after eating a somewhat big meal and have never had any problems like cramps or w/e... so what is up with that myth? Is there a real reason not to go swimming just after eating or is it just a paranoid parents situation? If there is a real reason, maybe you can tell us what the limit of eating should be before we have to wait to go swimming otherwise it's potentially dangerous. Like, is eating an energy bar considered dangerous before 1/2 hour, is a sandwich considered dangerous, etc...
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Post by Cybermortis on Nov 4, 2012 19:13:04 GMT
All I can tell you is that the myth originated with the Victorians, who had some very strange notions.
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Post by flippons on Nov 4, 2012 20:21:15 GMT
According to Stephen Fry on QI, the old answer of "it gives you stomach cramps" (which apparently translates as "the weight of food in your gut sinks you") is incorrect; however, there's a theoretical risk of regurgitating while underwater. That's probably more dangerous than regurgitating on land. Or maybe it's the fact that being full often leads to being sleepy.
As for how to test it: get some paramedics/lifeguards on stand-by, and then just go straight after eating. They'd also have to test different types of food as well, as mentioned in the OP.
Anyone have any idea just how dangerous this would be?
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Post by freegan on Nov 4, 2012 20:42:27 GMT
Indeed.
Eating a carbohydrate-rich meal can reduce your blood-glucose level as your system 'borrows' energy to release the extra energy in the carb's, leading to drowsiness and also muscular weakness as far as sustained activity is concerned.
The lack of aerobic energy can prompt lactic acid build-up in the muscles resulting in cramps.
The Victorians, especially the well-heeled who pioneered beach holidays and sea-bathing, were notorious for their large appetites and multi-course banquets, so it's not surprising that they originated the 'myth'.
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Post by memeengine on Nov 4, 2012 20:44:23 GMT
however, there's a theoretical risk of regurgitating while underwater. So perhaps it was a rumour started by swimmingpool attendants who didn't want to clean up afterwards? |
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Post by OziRiS on Nov 4, 2012 21:48:04 GMT
I know most of you guys probably prefer websites in english when you research, so just to widen the chance of me coming up with something different than the rest of you, I went ahead and did some research on this in danish instead.
The general consensus on this topic with danish health authorities is that it could potentially become dangerous to go swimming after a large meal. However, the old "rule", which almost implied that you couldn't go swimming if you had as much as touched an M&M with the tip of your tongue, is not only false, it's wildly misleading!
As true as it is that your body uses a lot of energy to digest a large meal and, as a result, leaves your muscles without the proper amount of energy to do other work, that also works the other way around. If you try to make your muscles do a lot of work without any added energy from food, you might run into just as much trouble.
The conclusion that I've drawn with the information at hand is:
Swimming on a completely full stomach = BAD!
Swimming on a completely empty stomach = Just as BAD!
So what should you do? Eat enough that you're not hungry, but not so much that you're stuffed and then go nuts in the water.
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Post by bikewer on Nov 9, 2012 1:12:38 GMT
I can't cite a specific source, but I've seen several articles to the effect that the old myth is simply nonsense...
Mind, I'm old enough to have gotten it all the time when we went swimming... The kids would have to wait impatiently for the full hour before jumping back in the pool or lake or river...
However, the articles I mentioned indicated that the problem with "drowning" deaths after eating is most likely the most common cause of death after all... Heart attack.
Out of shape and coronary-prone individuals, already at risk, throw themselves into the water and have the "widowmaker", which can kill you very rapidly indeed.
Who has ever experienced a "cramp" so severe that you would drown as a result? Where would this cramp occur? I've had rather nasty exercise-induced cramps in my legs on long cycling excursions, and they really hurt... But I wouldn't have drowned if I were in the water.
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 14, 2012 9:10:33 GMT
Most pool keepers I know who have investigated this are happy with the explanation that YOUNG kids who tend to have a rather loose connection with keeping their breakfast down should be told this myth in order to keep their breakfast out of the pool... it clogs up the filters?...
Ok, so, as you get older, you DONT eat huge meals at express speed then run around at high energy levels and end up throwing up....
So "Busted" for adults.... all right, MOST adults....
However, YOUNG kids, BIG meal then immediately swim, there have been instances....
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Post by OziRiS on Nov 14, 2012 15:42:26 GMT
Yeah, but that's not really dangerous, as the myth says, is it?
Besides, from what I've gathered, it's actually worse to eat a lot before swimming when you're old than when you're young. The human body's ability to break down the food deteriorates with age and requires more energy from someone of, say 60-70 years of age than of someone of 15 or 20 years of age.
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Post by cijay on Nov 14, 2012 17:09:18 GMT
I debunked that myth every day I was in Mexico and if there was any truth to it, why was there a buffet at the beach?
I don't think it's "dangerous", the cramps wouldn't grab and paralyse you, you would have time to get out of the water. AS people have said, it depends on what you eat and who you are. Just as some can ride roller coasters and others can't even look at them for getting sick, everyone's body reacts differently. I enjoyed my post buffet swims.
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Post by OziRiS on Nov 14, 2012 18:56:11 GMT
Agreed. It's more about you than about the food.
However, research suggests it CAN become dangerous if you find yourself in a situation where you need to use a lot of musclepower and your body is busy digesting a large meal. As in a situation where you're not aware of strong currents for example.
No doubt, a strong enough current could be dangerous in and by itself regardless of what you have or haven't eaten, but the research suggests that in that situation, you may not be able to get enough energy to your muscles to get out of the current if your body is busy digesting a large meal.
Apparantly, it has NOTHING at all to do with the cramps that are suggested by the myth. Those appear to be 100% fictional.
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