Eating a banana or two before a big race is okay, but if you expect them to prevent painful muscle cramps, you might be disappointed. Increasing the intake of foods high in electrolytes, like potassium, has not been shown to significantly ward off muscle cramps.

While electrolytes such as potassium play a key role in maintaining proper water balance inside and outside your body’s cells, most researchers now believe that muscle cramps result from more than just an electrolyte imbalance. In fact, studies of Ironman triathletes conducted over three decades found no association between the athletes' electrolyte levels and muscle cramping during exercise.

Most researchers now believe that muscle cramps are caused by overstimulation of the motor neurons in the nervous system, which relay messages that control our muscles. Some evidence suggests that drinks containing vinegar, like pickle juice, can help prevent and relieve muscle cramps during exercise. This effect is unrelated to electrolyte levels; rather, vinegar triggers a reflex after ingestion that reduces motor neuron activity, leading to muscle cramping. In other words, vinegar sends a signal to the brain to instruct the muscles to stop contracting and relax.

Numerous studies have confirmed that pickle juice is more effective than sports drinks in treating muscle cramps, including a study at the Department of Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Science at North Dakota State University.

Therefore, you might be better off consuming a bit of pickle juice instead of a sports drink before or during your next athletic event.