When a person is playing soccer, the body significantly changes how it allocates resources, especially blood flow, which directly impacts the digestive system.
The primary way the digestive system "works" or, more accurately, is affected during soccer is by pausing its normal operations as blood is redirected to the working muscles.
Blood Flow: The Critical Shift During Exercise
Normally, after you eat, the body prioritizes digestion:
- At Rest (After Eating): The heart pumps large volumes of blood to the stomach and intestines. This increased blood flow is essential to power the muscles and processes involved in breaking down food and absorbing nutrients.
However, during strenuous physical activity like playing or practicing soccer, the body's priorities shift to meeting the high demands of the muscles:
- During Soccer Activity: The active muscles in the legs, core, and elsewhere require a massive supply of oxygen and nutrients, delivered via the bloodstream. As a result, blood flow is redirected away from less critical functions at that moment, including digestion. According to the provided information, when playing or practicing, the blood is shunted to the working muscles, instead of going to the stomach.
Digestion Halts
Because blood flow is significantly reduced to the stomach and digestive organs during soccer, the digestive process essentially stops or slows dramatically. The environment necessary for efficiently breaking down food is no longer supported.
Impact on Player Comfort and Performance
Having undigested or partially digested food in the stomach when digestion is interrupted by exercise can lead to uncomfortable side effects for the player:
- This interruption often causes stomach cramps, making the player uncomfortable and potentially hindering their ability to run, move, and perform effectively on the field.
In summary, the digestive system's primary function of processing food is largely suspended during soccer activity due to the body's need to redirect blood flow to the muscles.
