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Olympic swimmers reveal best 'cure' to fighting infections after plunging into the polluted Seine River
Olympic swimmers revealed a common practice done to beat E. coli after swimming in the polluted Seine River in Paris.
The river has been one of the bigger storylines at the Olympics, as athletes are forced to plunge into its waters for competitive purposes.
However, several athletes believe they have found the remedy - or a prevention method - to combat diseases from the Seine.
'There's no harm in drinking a Coke after a race,' New Zealand's Ainsley Thorpe told the Wall Street Journal following the Women's Triathlon last week. 'If you Google it, it says it can help.'
Doctors have debunked the Coca-Cola myth and declared the method has no medical backing. However, athletes are not taking chances and following the advice given to them by professionals in Paris.
Olympic swimmers revealed that they drink Coca-Cola to prevent illnesses from the Seine
The highly-polluted body of water has starred in one of the biggest storylines in the Olympics
'The myth of Coca-Cola is true,' Australian marathon swimmer Moesha Johnson added. 'We will often have a Coca-Cola afterwards just to try to flush out anything inside of us.'
Aside from the sugary soda, Olympians have also used probiotics before races to ward off sickness.
'I took pro-biotics, I drank my Yakult, I couldn't do more,' Belgian triathlete Jolien Vermeylen said after a July 31 race. 'I had the idea of not drinking water, but yes, it failed.'
Vemeylen added that the Seine 'doesn't taste like Coca-Cola or Sprite, of course.'
Speaking about the method, the president of the American Gastroenterological Association, Dr. Maria Abreu, said that Coca-Cola does not have much of an effect on the Olympians' intestines.
Other athletes admitted they use probiotics to shake off sickness after each swim
Several athletes have already gotten sick after competing in the Seine's waters
Officials launched ambitious efforts to clean up the river before Paris hosted the Olympics
'These are young, athletic people, right? They're going to be healthy people whose stomach acid is going to be nice and robust,' Abreu said.
However, other athletes drink soda as a substitute for energy drinks to help restore some of the sugar lost from competing. A 12oz can of soda contains 39 grams - or nearly 10 teaspoons - of sugar.
'My coach advised me to [drink Coca-Cola] to restore those glycogen levels immediately,' American Katie Grimes told the outlet. 'Not Diet Coke, just straight-up Coke. Nothing does it better than that.'
After being pictured holding a bottle of Coke following her qualifying race in 2023, Grimes has already won the silver medal in the Women's 400m Individual Medley. The Las Vegas native dove back into the Seine on Thursday morning for the women's 10km marathon swim and placed 15th.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swims in the Seine to prove its cleanliness before the Olympics
1.4billion euros have been spent on cleaning operations for the Seine since 2015
Several events have already been canceled and postponed due to failed water quality tests from the Seine.
Before the Olympics, officials went on an ambitious plan to clean the E. coli-infested river, including a $1.5billion tab on infrastructure improvements.
Despite the cleaning efforts and varying health measures, several athletes developed illnesses after individual triathlons.
Competitors from Switzerland and Belgium have fallen ill throughout the games. However, whether the water from the Seine caused the sickness remains unclear.