I'm sure most of you were sickened- or perhaps, more than just a bit amused- when on the latest edition of '24/7' that features Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez; to see the Mexican sharp-shooter guzzle his own urine. The belief being that what better way to replenish your own system of lost vitamins and other nutrients, than to put back what you just discarded?
Everyone had a good laugh over this and the expected jokes have been made. But the question is, for as unorthodox as this method is, does it actually have merit?
Does drinking your own piss have it's benefits?
I asked Dr. Margaret Goodman, who for years was a fixture at all the major fights in Las Vegas, where she served as ringside physician and was the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board for the Nevada State Athletic Commission. When I broached the subject to her on Tuesday afternoon, Goodman, who practices neurology in Las Vegas, said she would consult with Dr. Flip Homansky.
About 20 minutes after I called her, she buzzed me back. She said," He agrees with me, he says that it used to be a big thing among athletes- and I don't want to make it into any racial thing- but he had heard it was more from Latino athletes, years and years ago and it's kind of like an old wives tale. There isn't anything really wrong with it because as long as it's not really sitting around getting full of bacteria, just like anything else, it's pretty sterile. So it's not going to cause you any kind of infectious problem."
So the lesson is, if you're going to drink your own wizz, it better be new and fresh. This isn't wine, it shouldn't be aged.
" We both kind of agree that it's not good for a boxer that's training. It's going to predispose him to more dehydration because your urine tends to be more concentrated than, obviously, water and so if anything it's going to cause dehydration and contribute to that. If he's really training hard- and I know he does- it wouldn't really be beneficial.
" Is it harmful? No, probably not."
Alex Ariza, best known for being the strength and conditioning coach for Manny Pacquiao and a host of other boxers at the Wild Card Boxing Club agrees with Goodman, that while it's not necessarily damaging to the body, there's really no benefit to it.
" No, actually there's not unfortunately," said Ariza, who studied exercise physiology at San Diego State." Most vitamins are water soluble and whatever the body doesn't absorb in normal everyday supplement intake is usually passed through your urine. So once it's been discarded, there's no real sense in recycling it once your body has already let you know that they don't need it."
But he says perhaps that it can serve to help a fighter psychologically.
" It might be a placebo affect, making him mentally tough, knowing that he drank his own urine. I really don't know. Or maybe for shock value. But as far as getting anything out of it? No. There's some other agents in there that can kill fungus's and things like that. But as far as anything that's going to increase your endurance or resistance...I just don't know what the purpose of it is."
Well, it has served it's purpose in one regard- people are talking about it and it has created a bit of a buzz in the lead-up to the September 19Th fight. This column right here, is an example of that.
Now, I'm not exactly Jack Lalanne or Victor Conte, but isn't the best way to get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals is to just eat a healthy and balanced diet or just take a regimen of pills?
" Duh!!!," answered the Doc, while laughing.
Source: maxboxing.com
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