Olympic swimmers spotted drinking unusual beverage to fight off bacteria after competing in polluted Seine River
If you're swimming as fast as you can through the water, no matter how much you try to avoid it, you're going to get water in your mouth.
Well, imagine swimming through the polluted River Seine during the Paris 2024 Olympics - you'd need to wash your mouth out after it.
How would you fight off bacteria? Personally, I would gargle mouthwash - and may even be tempted to swallow some, even though I know you're not meant to.
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For more than 100 years, swimming in the Seine has mostly been banned as people would be at risk of contracting diseases if they accidentally swallowed the polluted water - known for it's high levels of E.coli.
But with France hosting their third Summer Olympics, and the first in 100 years, athletes who take part in the marathon swimming and triathlon events have been permitted to dip in the water.
And to counteract all those germs, well, Olympians believe that Coca-Cola - full fat Coke to be precise - is just the ticket.
Speaking about it to The Wall Street Journal, Australian swimmer Moesha Johnson said: “The myth of Coca-Cola is true.
"We will often have a Coca-Cola afterwards just to try to flush out anything inside of us.”
While New Zealand’s Ainsley Thorpe said after her triathlon race: “There’s no harm in drinking a Coke after a race.
“If you Google it, it says it can help.”
However, doctors don't believe the hype, as it was explained that there is no medical evidence proving that Coke cures gastro illnesses.
Dr. Maria Abreu, the president of the American Gastroenterological Association, explained that a healthy stomach is more acidic than a bottle of coke, so it wouldn't really make a difference in fighting off bacteria.
She told the publication: “These are young, athletic people, right? They’re going to be healthy people whose stomach acid is going to be nice and robust."
There are some benefits for athletes who choose to guzzle a bottle of full fat Coca-Cola though.
A can of Coke has nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar in it, so it actually can be extremely beneficial for athletes who have exerted so much energy.
US Olympian Katie Grime explained that she swears by it.
Speaking to the paper, she said: “My coach advised me to [drink Coca-Cola] to restore those glycogen levels immediately.
“Not Diet Coke, just straight up Coke. Nothing does it better than that.”
Next time you compete in a tasking competition, maybe the odd bottle of Coca-Cola could do you a world of good.
Topics: France, Health, Olympics, Food and Drink, Sport, Science
Joe Yates