Language Overflow

> Although we often think of mint as a garnish, it’s actually full of nutrients, especially nitrates. Plus, mint has been shown to help with digestive issues, so it’s a great addition to a pre-run routine.

M.A.R.

@CowperKettle How are nitrates nutritional?

They can even be harmful AFAIK

CowperKettle

4:27 PM

@M.A.R. I don't know, but I know that they are lauded in the running circles. People take drinks of beetroot juice before runs hoping that nitrates would help them, since they improve blood supply of muscles.

I recall from my childhood that nitrates were feared, because the USSR overused them in the fields. And people were coming up with weird rules of thumb to avoid nitrate-rich foods.

I was amazed at how L-acetyl carnitine seemingly improved my running (although one can never be sure), and tried reading up on other means to improve it.

Interestingly, they write that sodium bicarbonate improves endurance.

frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.00240/full

Impact factor is low though

M.A.R.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6147587

NO is a natural vasodilator.

In very minute amounts only, and I don't know if it's picky.

You'd want your heart and skeletal muscles to be vasodilated. That's a fair portion of the body.

OTOH, vasodilation in large veins would mean lower cardiac output.

Nonetheless, NO emitted from vehicles is toxic.

So is it something of a street, anecdotal sort of knowledge, or is it some vague pseudo-science blown way out of proportion? I dunno, but I wouldn't root for nitrate.

CowperKettle

4:43 PM

nods

bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/8/658.info

Another suggested supplement is beta-alanine

There are studies telling that it prevents an over-increase of lactate during long runs.

But the studies are abysmally minute in their size.

But I like that such studies are being done. In the long run, accumulated knowledge may help people with disorders.

M.A.R.

5:04 PM

@CowperKettle Scientists are really good at helping people with disorders. They're not so good at helping people without disorders.

Sports science tends to be disappointing in quality

CowperKettle

5:25 PM

nods

CowperKettle

6:00 PM

Q: Why do many Korean folk tales start with "back when tigers smoked"?

I've read in a few sources that the Korean equivalent of the "once upon a time ..." which often begins English folk stories is something like "back when tigers smoked ..." or "when tigers used to smoke ..." Why has this become a standard way to start Korean folk stories? What is the historical an...