Can drinking "magic liquid" before a physical test really improve your physical fitness?

Recently, the media interviewed me: I heard that there is a kind of "physical fitness test tool" that claims "drink a sip before the game, and you will be like a god during the test." Many students and parents buy these small bottles of drinks. Can this kind of product really improve physical fitness?

There has been a lot of discussion on the Internet about this topic in the media interview. It is said that this type of product is very popular, and hundreds of thousands of bottles can be sold when the exam is approaching. Under the deception of the merchants, some people hold the mentality of "others use it, so I have to use it too", and often follow the trend to buy it.

This matter can be discussed from the following aspects.

First of all, its marketing and promotion is illegal . These products are not formally approved functional foods and cannot claim efficacy, not to mention exaggerated efficacy. The promotion itself is illegal. Moreover, because all the promotion is the marketing rhetoric of the promoter, the efficacy of the product itself has no legal protection. If the buyer does not get the effect of "improving performance", he cannot pursue the deception of the merchant and can only blame himself for wasting money. Obviously, this kind of product should not be encouraged by the market.

Secondly, the content of some ingredients exceeds the standard . According to the Internet, the content of some ingredients such as caffeine, taurine, carnitine, and certain B vitamins in these products is too high, exceeding the quantity range specified in GB24154-2015. Even in international competitions, if adult athletes consume too much caffeine, exceeding the normal coffee intake, it is still a violation.

Our country has never recommended that minors drink caffeinated beverages, including coffee, strong tea, caffeinated milk tea, etc. Nutrition experts and medical experts do not recommend that children and adolescents drink them.

Middle school students are still minors and their ability to metabolize caffeine is not as good as that of adults, so they should not drink beverages containing excessive amounts of caffeine.

Third, using such products may cause adverse reactions. Any food ingredient, when used in excess, may cause health damage. Everyone has a different ability to metabolize caffeine, a stimulant, due to both genetic and physical differences.

For those who are sensitive, large amounts of caffeine may cause side effects such as palpitations, rapid heartbeat, gastrointestinal discomfort, irritability and insomnia. The weak and those with weak gastrointestinal function are more sensitive. It may affect the mood and sleep in the next few days.

Fourth, using them may cause the risk of sports injuries. Excitatory substances such as caffeine and guarana extract can make the body ignore fatigue signals and appear to have "energy bursts", but they cannot actually eliminate fatigue itself. In the case of poor cardiopulmonary function and weak body, fatigue is a protective mechanism. Without this mechanism, sports injuries, organ damage and even sudden death are more likely to occur, which is very dangerous.

Fifth, it creates a negative impact on companies. If consumers blindly pursue the effect of improving performance through temporary excitement, and if exaggerated publicity can produce benefits, then the product is likely to evolve in a more dangerous direction. It is inevitable that some businesses may increase the dosage of "active ingredients" or add more dangerous stimulant drugs, which will have a greater potential impact on health.

Sixth, the popularity of such products has impacted the fairness of the physical test for the high school entrance examination. Every time there is an exam, there are people who want to cheat, and every time there is a competition, there are people who want to use stimulants. But from a management perspective, such ideas should not be allowed to be implemented.

Some people see others drinking during the physical fitness test for the high school entrance exam, so they also consider whether to drink during the physical fitness test in college, and they also discuss whether to drink when participating in school sports meets... The mentality of relying on "special products" to improve sports performance may spread.

Especially from the perspective of adult education, making them feel that they can spend money to get better grades than others, or even get into a better school by chance, is a very negative social experience and psychological guidance.

Seventh, the use of stimulant products violates the goal of physical fitness test. The fundamental purpose of the physical fitness test in the high school entrance examination is to encourage students to strengthen their daily physical exercise, improve their comprehensive physical fitness, and become physically and mentally healthy citizens in the future. These so-called physical fitness test tools filled with stimulants are not beneficial to physical and mental health even if they achieve better results, and run counter to the goal of the physical fitness test in the high school entrance examination.

Before the physical test, you need to do daily exercise to improve your cardiopulmonary function, muscle strength, and exercise endurance. You can see significant improvements with just one to six months of hard work.

Getting enough sleep, resting well, and eating three balanced meals a few days before the test is enough to get enough energy. Before starting high-intensity exercise, warming up is also important for preventing sports injuries and getting good results.

If you eat a lot of white rice, sweets, etc., you may be inadequately supplied with B vitamins. This can be improved by including one-third to one-half of whole grains in your staple food . Taking one or two small B-complex vitamin pills every day can solve the problem more quickly.

Someone asked, is it okay to drink a cup of coffee before the test?

The amount of a cup of coffee is still within the normal range of life. For healthy teenagers, drinking it once is harmless. At this time, it is better to use sweetened coffee and drink it about 30 minutes before exercise. For teenagers who do not drink coffee on a daily basis, a small amount of caffeine can have a mild stimulating effect, while too much may be harmful rather than beneficial.