What health benefits does pickle juice offer?

What health benefits does pickle juice offer?

Hi,

Pickle juice contains large quantities of salt, a chemical compound that helps the body retain water. It's endorsed by the Philadelphia Eagles as being a great way to stay hydrated.

Scientific studies have also shown that pickle juice is a great way to combat muscle cramps, especially in the legs.

Hope that helps!

Dear cribviddotcom,
One liter of the stuff contains 10,000 milligrams of sodium our daily intake of sodium is 2,500 mg. There is no proof that it has any benefits at all. If you need to drink pickle juice to be thirsty to drink water then something is wrong here...Just drink more water???? There is no benefit...they hype was when some athletes drank (a shot glass) for the sodium that would have been about equivalent to a bottle of GatorAid...but they didn't want to drink that much liquid when on the court...so this is where it stemmed from.
Sue...good luck

Sue90,

I wasn't advocating that he drink an entire liter of Pickle Juice under any circumstances. I know it has high sodium, and I told him such. That's the point.

In one of the (admittedly, few) scientific studies on the affects of pickle juice, Dale, et al. examined the effectiveness of pickle juice as a preventative measure for exercise-associated muscle cramps compared to Gatorade. The two beverage samples were analyzed in a food-composition laboratory to determine the amount of salt, potassium, calcium and magnesium in each product. Pickle juice was found to have considerably more salt than the carbohydrate beverage. Dale et. al. concluded that pickle juice can be used as a remedy for muscle cramps.

Two ounces is the recommended serving size.

SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS
Although there is an abundance of anecdotal evidence supporting the use of pickle juice as a method of preventing dehydration and muscle cramps, the is little scientific evidence supporting or refuting these ideas. Dale, et al. examined the effectiveness of pickle juice as a preventative measure for exercise-associated muscle cramps compared to Gatorade. This study compared the pickle juice from Vlasic Pickles to the carbohydrate sports beverage Gatorade. The two beverage samples were analyzed in a food-composition laboratory to determine the amount of salt, potassium, calcium and magnesium in each product. Pickle juice was found to have considerably more salt than the carbohydrate beverage. Dale et. al. concluded that pickle juice can be used as a remedy for muscle cramps. However, the study warns of the danger of ingesting large amounts of salt and suggests that athletes should dilute the pickle juice with a sufficient quantity of a hypotonic or isotonic solution. Two ounces is the suggested serving size of pickle juice.

Medical professionals believe that salt plays the major role in preventing the dehydration that causes muscle cramps, but it does not necessarily have to come from pickle juice. Kurt Spindler, the Director of the Vanderbilt Sports Medicine Center, suggests that athletes salt their food to avoid muscle cramps.

CONCLUSION
More scientific research is needed to determine the effectiveness of pickle juice as a muscle cramp remedy. If you are an athlete that does not like pickles, do not fret. It seems that you may be able to receive the same benefits by increasing your salt intake. But remember, there can be too much of a good thing. If you are on a salt-restricted diet, you may want to look elsewhere for a muscle cramp remedy.

Salt is completely irrelevant to muscle cramps, so it makes no sense to put salt on food for that. The pickle juice is actually very high in potassium, which many people are deficient in. The potassium is what helps the muscle cramps, and it is absolutely fact. It's obvious that if the medical community knows potassium help cramps (deficiency will cause cramps) then a high potassium substance would help them too. The salt has nothing to do with it. And sports drinks are loaded with sodium also, and corn syrup now, which is horrible for you anyway.

a swallow of pickle juice a morning seems to help bring my blood pressure down and give me a boost of energy.

from:Coaching Management (also check out the new Pickle pops - Bobs Pickle Pops go to PicklesforProfit (dot com) Now you can get the health benfits in a cool new frozen pop!! The frozen pop has less sodium then a slice of bread, yet it is the 2oz that is often recommended.)

'But while fluid intake is an athlete’s best weapon against heat and dehydration, athletic trainers acknowledge that pickle juice may serve a purpose in that regimen. Some athletic trainers have reported that, when used in moderation as a supplement to a sound hydration routine, pickle juice has helped to avoid cramping, and even treat cramps after they have occurred. Other athletic trainers have offered anecdotal reports of mustard and vinegar doing the same thing. But no scientific studies have been conducted to establish why these folk remedies sometimes work. '
Check out PicklesforProfit (dot com) try the cool new pickles pops..athletes love them, kids of all ages love them and we have heard Emerl loves them too!

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