Discussion: Sometimes you wish exercise scientists would keep things to themselves

I can't help hoping this - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/health/nutrition... - doesn't really work. I could do without feeling I'm at a disadvantage if I don't get one more piece of ridiculously expensive equipment.

Well, the bit about the jumpers going higher seems a bit odd......
"piece of ridiculously expensive equipment"....
and ridiculously profitable I'd imagine.
I would not think that your mouth opening is the limiting factor on how much air you suck into your lungs....

you know, since this was made recently, they are most likely to set the prices high now, so to get those who would purchase it at any costs to pay much now, then drop the prices down later. We´ve seen it all in new advances before. So i bet in 3 years, the prices are at consumer levels.

Well from the perspective of an older runner, I'd happily pay $500 for any device that would enable me to take a couple of minutes off my 10k times. And that wouldn't be the only time i've substituted the "Visa challenge" for more/better training....:-)

This isn't really new. In the late 70's a bunch of folks started using something called a "mora" (I think that's what it was called) that did basically the same thing. It allowed you to bite down while keeping the airway open. The idea was that when cycling, your head is tilted upwards which naturally pulls your jaw open and having something between your teeth somehow helped in that respect. I never tried one, but I knew riders who swore by them. Obviously, it died out since nobody uses them anymore and somebody's trying to make a buck off the 2nd iteration. Hey whatever works for ya. Even a placebo effect can be useful.

Looks like 1st of April joke to me...
Perfectly placed before Christmas to suck money from the pockets.
If we were in Russia, I would say bribery is involved for sure...

There are refurbished ones on ebay for cheap.

Yummy!

americans... you're so funny

We think so too.

He means you, Cristina-without-an-h. You are funny.

looks like i should take my footy mouth gaurd out of retirement....

Not a joke - my other half was prescribed a set (upper and lower) for sleep apnaea. One of these came with the set, which she is supposed to put in for a while after taking the overnight ones out. Dentist told her to also wear it while cycling and running. And they are expensive! (But I can vouch for the fact that the sleeping ones definitely work!)

No, not a joke. Anyone that grinds their teeth while sleeping (your roommate will know), or gets frequent bad stress headaches, might consider checking a mouth guard out for sleeping to absorb the pressures through the jaw joint. It's known as TMJ, and relief will be quick.

@ Walk: Saving the teeth is perfectly legal, but what about increased breathing, VO2 etc. related to the performance?

Air and thus oxigen intake by the lungs is not the limiting factor for average and above average endurance athlete. You would need to have 70, 75+ VO2Max so that your blood and your cells could transport and absorb enough oxygen that the bottleneck becomes your lungs air intake volume.
Then you will benefit from this as well as from those nostrill opening bandaids.

You would need to have 70, 75+ VO2Max so that your blood and your cells could transport and absorb enough oxygen that the bottleneck becomes your lungs air intake volume.

or a smaller than average mouth...

This one is for real... Truro is only 1 hr away from me. There have been some convincing studies to back it all up as well. Still...

Umm, guess it's time to put on my professional hat.
We are talking about 3 separate things here:

If you've got obstructive sleep apnea ie your anatomy blocks your airway when you sleep, these things can really help you live longer.
This blockage is usually while unconscious, and usually on people with chubby necks or narrow airways, usually heavy snorers. I can't see it being much help for aerobic sports unless you have a really bad airway.

As for the strength thing, there were some studies mostly among power/ anaerobic sports that showed an increase in strength if you opened the bite a bit. Lots of others showed nothing at all. There is now an Under Armour brand that's flogging like crazy, and has an exclusive with a certain dental supply company. More advertising doesn't mean it works though. Jury is definitely out.
Mind you, if the athlete thinks it's going to work, there's a big placebo effect too.

I could easily make a sports guard in different thicknesses to test the hypothesis, but I really don't see it allowing me to lift more or jump higher. Maybe if I had an overclosed bite and this brought me back to where I should be it might help but this isn't that common.
If you have a deep bite you probably know who you are- your top teeth cover 75% or more of your bottom teeth.

In terms of tooth protection, sure, a sports guard could help a power lifter not crack his or her teeth, and could help prevent concussions in ski jumpers, hockey players etc, but they tend to make it a little harder to breathe, not easier.

I want one, but really just to tone my face. Work it:

If you have a deep bite you probably know who you are- your top teeth cover 75% or more of your bottom teeth.

That would be me for sure; you can't even see my lower teeth when my jaw is closed. And, I must say that I hit harder when wearing my TKD mouthguard, but some of that might be because the only time I'm wearing it is when someone is hitting me back. Keeping my mouth open when running has never been a problem.