image is everything when it comes sports nutrition, according to a group of researchers who were tickled pink to discover that simply changing the colour of a beverage can improve one’s physical performance.
the study, published in
frontiers in nutrition
, found that participants who were given access to pink beverages while on a treadmill ran 4.4 per cent faster and reported greater feelings of pleasure than when they were given the same beverage in a clear colour.
“the influence of colour on athletic performance has received interest previously, from its effect on a sportsperson’s kit to its impact on testosterone and muscular power,”
said sanjoy deb
, corresponding author and a doctor at the university of westminster.
“similarly, the role of colour in gastronomy has received widespread interest, with research published on how visual cues or colour can affect subsequent flavour perception when eating and drinking.”
the study’s 10 participants — six men and four women — were required to complete two separate trials on a treadmill at a speed of their choosing for 30 minutes. individuals taking medication for health-related conditions or using performance supplements were excluded. subjects were allowed to rinse out their mouths during the two tasks with one of two randomly assigned, artificially sweetened beverages — both low in calories — with no difference in composition except for appearance.