Olympic Swimmers Are Drinking Coca-Cola to Protect From Bacteria in the Seine

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Olympic swimmers are taking extra precautions to avoid infection from the Seine with help from one of the most popular soft drinks in the world.

Amid rising concerns about potentially unsafe levels of E. coli in the Seine, some Olympians are drinking Coca-Cola after their races as a way to fight infection.

The thinking is that the acidity of the soda would be enough to kill any bacteria that a swimmer ingests during a race. The problem is that there’s no scientific basis for that theory.

Dr. Maria Abreu, president of the American Gastroenterological Association, told the Wall Street Journal that a healthy stomach is more acidic than Coke, so drinking the beverage wouldn’t kill any additional bacteria that swimmers’ systems haven’t already eliminated.

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“These are young, athletic people,” she said. “They’re going to be healthy people whose stomach acid is going to be nice and robust.”

The unorthodox solution came about after officials had already postponed several events due to the river’s toxicity. In the leadup to the games, France spent more than $1.5 billion on infrastructure improvements, including an effort to clean the Seine, according to The Independent. That didn’t stop a test run of the marathon course that was supposed to run on Wednesday, August 7, from being postponed due to poor water quality.

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Additionally, the Belgian mixed relay team pulled out of the event entirely due to safety concerns after one of its athletes who swam in the Seine got sick. A swimmer from Switzerland reported getting sick as well.

This is after Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine herself to show it was clean.

“So I’m really proud and happy and to all those who want to continue saying it’s impossible to depollute a river, I tell them, ‘Yes it’s possible, we did it,’” she said.

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Even if Coca-Cola isn’t a foolproof solution, some Olympians swear by it.

“The myth of Coca-Cola is true,” Australia’s Moesha Johnson told the Wall Street Journal. “We will often have a Coca-Cola afterward just to try to flush out anything inside of us.”

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The soft drink has other uses as well, like helping to restore sugar lost during competition.

“My coach advised me to [drink Coca-Cola] to restore those glycogen levels immediately,” American Katie Grimes said. “Not Diet Coke, just straight-up Coke. Nothing does it better than that.”

For those who don’t like Coke, Team USA’s Emily Klueh has another solution.

“I’ve heard that taking a shot of Jägermeister just kills everything in your stomach,” Klueh quipped.