Magical Chocolate Milk Erases Concussion Effects
This is America in a nutshell. Instead of banning kids from
playing football, as
the world's leading expert on the football-related head injuries urges, a
school district is having their football players drink a brand of chocolate
milk that has
been shown in a preliminary study to "improve their
cognitive and motor function over the course of a season, even after
experiencing concussions."
Experimental groups drank Fifth Quarter Fresh after each
practice and game, sometimes six days a week, while control groups did not
consume the chocolate milk. Analysis was performed on two separate groups:
athletes who experienced concussions during the season and those who did not.
Both non-concussed and concussed groups showed positive effects from the
chocolate milk.
Non-concussed athletes who drank Maryland-produced Fifth
Quarter Fresh showed better cognitive and motor scores over nine test measures
after the season as compared to the control group.
Concussed athletes drinking the milk improved cognitive and
motor scores in four measures after the season as compared to those who did
not.
Vice Sports has a
quick look at what's wrong with this study.
See also these
new helmets designed to "prevent" concussions. The problem
is not poorly designed helmets or lack of magic chocolate milk. Those things
only make matters worse by implicitly condoning poor behavior, e.g. if helmets
prevent concussions, it'll gradually result in harder hitting, which will
result in more injuries.
