Fact or Fiction?
As a parent I have been
guilty of regurgitating the old wives tale that states, if you swim directly after a meal you
will assuredly get stomach cramps and drown! Just yesterday following a beautiful
picnic lunch on the river-side I reminded my 3 sons not to get in the water for
at least half an hour as “it is very dangerous to swim after eating!” which is
actually not really true.
This myth has been
around for a long time and its beginnings are unclear, however as far back as 1961 exercise
physiologist Arthur Steinhaus questioned the plausibility of the claim in the
journal of Health, Physical Education and
Recreation (Centre for Disease Control (CDC) 1996). Despite the
widely held belief that swimming directly following a meal will result in
stomach cramps, leading to drowning, no actual reported fatalities have been
contributed to this cause.
Whilst researching this topic I
have discovered that the half hour rule is often blown out to up to three hours
and this also varies on the content of the meal. Dr Marielle Ledoux, a
professor in the Department of Nutrition at Universite de Montreal suggests
that "Foods that are rich in fat are harder to digest than carbohydrates.
It takes more oxygen to metabolize them, so they aren't as good a source of
energy for physical activity". She suggests that as the body requires energy to swim, it
cannot do so effectively if that oxygen has been diverted to the stomach; but this does not quantify the myth that it will lead to cramping and your immediate demise!
So is this old wives
tale based on fact or fiction? Actually that would depend on the context of the
question. If you were to swim difficult laps or long distances on a full stomach
then it IS probable you will develop a cramp or at the least feel sick, however
this can be said of any form or physical exertion following eating.
If however, your intent is to lounge lazily in the water following your repast
then you can be reasonably assured you will not automatically be grasped by spasms and sink to
the bottom whilst convulsing in mortal throes worthy of a Jaws remake!
The following clip from Lighthouse Laboratories essentially busts this myth so that it can now be safely deleted from page 231 of the 'Parents guide to keeping your children safe from immenent death!' (a book which I am sure exists and has been handed down from one well meaning generation to another....)
Personally I am more
concerned that my usual compulsion to partake in a siesta following a meal would kick in at
an inopportune moment and I would slide gracefully into a coma on a cushion of
watery bliss...
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