The Winter Olympics menu is out! These common ingredients contain stimulants, so don't eat them!

Expert of this article: Chu Yuhao, PhD of Beijing University of Chemical Technology, engineer of Sinopec Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Industry

As the weather gets colder, the Beijing Olympics has entered the countdown.

It is reported that the Beijing Winter Olympics will open on February 4, 2022.

On the 13th, China Media Group and the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee jointly released the athlete menu for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Beef soup, pizza, teriyaki chicken, kimchi fried pork belly...

On the menu!

Many netizens said: There is nothing I don’t like to eat…

At the same time, one detail also attracted people's attention.

Yang Chen, head chef of Yanqing Village for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, said: "There cannot be pepper in the dishes of Winter Olympic athletes because pepper is a food-borne stimulant. In addition, 48 common kitchen ingredients such as bay leaves are also not allowed."

What exactly are food-borne stimulants? Why are they found in spices? What happens if athletes eat them? Learn something new today.

What are food-borne stimulants?

Food-borne stimulants are stimulants that come from food.

There are two types of food-borne stimulants: one is naturally present in the food during the production and processing process; the other is intentionally added to the food during the process and remains in the food.

Therefore, food-borne stimulants are divided into two categories: endogenous stimulants that exist naturally in food and exogenous stimulants that are artificially added.

What are food-borne stimulants?

According to chemical structure and properties, food-borne stimulants are mainly divided into four categories, namely glucocorticoids, steroids, zearalanol and β2-receptor agonists.

Glucocorticoids

It can promote the decomposition of protein and glycogen into glucose, thereby maintaining the body's energy. It is mainly used in the breeding process of livestock and may also be found in fruits such as sugar apple.

Steroids

It has the function of promoting protein synthesis and is used in animal husbandry.

Steroids may be found in foods such as beans and honey.

Zearalanol

It is a growth promoter that promotes protein synthesis. It was once used to increase the weight of cattle and sheep, but is currently banned in my country.

β2-agonists

It can reduce fat accumulation and increase muscle content, but it has also been banned in our country.

β2-receptor agonists and zearalanol may be found in some meat and offal from hormone-fed animals and processed meat products.

In daily life, the "clenbuterol" we are familiar with is also a kind of food-borne stimulant.

"Ruminant" is a general term for a class of drugs that inhibit the growth of animal fat. It is added to feed to promote the growth of animal muscle and thus remains in edible meat. "Ruminant" is essentially a β2-receptor agonist stimulant.

Higenamine contained in spices such as pepper and bay leaves is an alkaloid, which is also a food-borne stimulant belonging to the β2-receptor agonist class.

Is it harmful to the human body if you accidentally ingest food-borne stimulants?

If you accidentally eat food that has excessive amounts of exogenous stimulants added in violation of regulations, the residues will cause serious harm to human body functions.

For example, consuming too much β2-receptor agonists (such as clenbuterol) at one time will cause acute food poisoning with symptoms such as headache and nausea; zearalanol will cause functional disorders in the body, and long-term excessive intake may even cause cancer; long-term excessive intake of steroid hormones will seriously interfere with the hormone balance in the body.

Therefore, when purchasing food, especially meat and eggs, you must choose legal and formal channels.

Foods that naturally contain food-borne stimulants have low levels, so they will not cause harm to the body when consumed by ordinary people on a daily basis.

If an athlete accidentally ingests it, not only will it fail to improve their performance in the competition due to the low dosage, but it will also cause the urine test to come out positive for stimulants, which is a "loss of effort".

What other food-borne stimulants are there in life?

Licorice: The naturally occurring beta-sitosterol in licorice has glucocorticoid properties.

Lotus seeds: The higenamine and beta-sitosterol naturally contained in lotus seeds belong to the category of food-borne stimulants.

Coffee beans and tea: Coffee beans and tea are rich in the alkaloid caffeine, which is a type of food-borne stimulant.

Functional drinks: The caffeine and sulfuric acid in functional drinks can stimulate the central nervous system and are food-borne stimulants.

Melon seeds: Since spices are added to melon seeds during the frying process, there is a certain chance of introducing food-borne stimulants.

Braised products: Most braised products contain Sichuan peppercorns, which contain higenamine, a food-borne stimulant.

All of the foods mentioned above are endogenous food-borne stimulants and can be consumed normally and safely in daily life.

Aquatic products, meat, and eggs that have been illegally added with exogenous stimulants may also pose a risk for us to be exposed to food-borne stimulants.

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