Maybe it's not your favorite drink.
However, for many athletes, pickle juice has become a staple.
Carlos Alcaraz and Janik Siner were seen drinking what was believed to be pickle juice during their five-set match in the French Open final.
Seeing athletes drinking salty liquids is nothing new.
Former Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira was photographed drinking from a bottle labeled "pickle juice" back in 2019, and it has become part of the England team's strategy to combat player cramps at Euro 2024.
Pickle juice is commonly taken by athletes who engage in long-duration sports, an hour and a half or more, or anything that involves intermittent or repetitive muscle contractions.
How does it help athletes?
Pickle juice is used by athletes as a means to relieve muscle cramps.
This acidic liquid is a concentrated source of electrolytes, containing sodium and potassium. It has been found to stop cramps 40 percent faster than drinking water.
Pickle juice is thought to work by interfering with "nerve signaling" - triggering a reflex in the mouth that sends a signal to stop muscle spasms.
This can happen almost instantly – quickly relieving cramps.
How should athletes use juice?
Majur Ranchordas, professor of sports nutrition and exercise at Sheffield Hallam University, however, points out that there is still a misconception that pickle juice can be used to prevent muscle cramps.
There is no evidence to suggest that drinking juice before a sporting event has any benefits.
Instead, athletes should take it at the onset of cramps, but not drink it.
"Instead of drinking it, they need to swish it around in their mouth for 20 to 30 seconds. That's when the vinegar and salt start to work, and then you can spit it out," Ranchordas told BBC Sport.
A mistake some athletes make is rinsing their mouths with water to get rid of the taste.
Removing that sensation—taking pickle juice and wanting to pucker your mouth in response—stops the firing mechanisms that relieve the spasm.
Ranchordas, who is also head of nutrition at Aston Villa Football Club, says that adding chillies to a jar of pickles and letting the chillies sit can make the pickle juice even more effective.
"The more horrible it tastes, the more effective it is."
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What's wrong with sports drinks?
A more pleasant option, for those who don't like pickles, might be a sweet sports drink.
However, what's special about pickle juice is that it can disrupt the message sent to the brain that a muscle is cramping.
This is a much faster method of relieving cramps than taking electrolytes, which you have to digest and absorb.
Emma Tester, a nutritionist currently working at the UK Institute of Sport, told BBC Sport that more research is needed to understand the additional benefits of pickle juice.
"There's not a huge amount of [research] that definitively says 'yes, it will actually work. It depends on the individual, whether they feel it's beneficial to them.'"
So is it enough to just eat more pickles?
Not really.
Pickle juice is thought to be effective due to its concentration of electrolytes, combined with fluid.
Eating a large amount of pickles may not be very pleasant for the stomach, nor is it practical.
It may not be easy to snack on pickles on the football field or between games of a tennis match.
Are there any risks?
Pickle juice may not be suitable for everyone, it can potentially cause digestive problems, as it is very concentrated and salty.
Tester says she's seen athletes "vomiting on the sidelines" after drinking pickle juice, which can hinder performance rather than help it.
"Everything needs to be practiced. Just like performance needs to be practiced, nutrition needs to be practiced," she said.
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