Menthol is a natural compound within the mentha (also known as mint) plant that stimulates the cold receptor in human cells called TRPM8, making us feel a cooling sensation when applied to the skin or inhaled. This change in perception was shown decades ago to cause a sensation of improved airflow in the nose without actual changes to the type of air entering the nasal cavity.
Since this discovery, numerous studies have explored how menthol can affect athletic performance, as improved breathing is key to better results in the gym and on the road. Most recently, a review in the June 2017 issue of Sports Medicine found that menthol can have endurance exercise performance benefits, and may be beneficial for increasing joint range of motion.
“Menthol is effective when applied during endurance exercise in the heat as it feels like it cools you down,” says Chris Stevens, Ph.D. and lecturer, Sport and Exercise Science, Southern Cross University. “However, the menthol needs to be in contact with thermoreceptors in the mouth, so a pill would probably not work.”
Read on to find out nine facts about how menthol can improve your sports performance.
The research on menthol’s effect on athletic performance is divided into two categories: internal application and external application. Internal application refers to a menthol mouth rinse or menthol-aromatized beverage while external refers to a gel or spray applied to the skin or clothing. To make a menthol aromatized beverage, which is a drink with menthol in it, you can simply add a commercial liquid mint solution to water to suit your taste, says Stevens.
As for external applications, studies have had menthol gel applied to the face, forearm, and biceps, and sprayed onto cycling and running jerseys.
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INTERNAL MENTHOL IMPROVES ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
A 2010 European Journal of Applied Physiologystudy found that a 25ml menthol mouth rinse swirled in the mouth then spit out significantly improved cycling time to exhaustion by 9%. In a 2017 Journal of Strength & Conditioning study, male runners improved their 3km running speed by 3.5% using a combination of a facial water spray and a menthol mouth rinse during the workout itself. Pre-cooling strategies such as submerging the face in cold water did not yield these same performance benefits.
According to a 2014 PLOS ONEstudy of cyclists and triathletes in the West Indies (where it was 86°F), menthol-aromatized water improves cycling performance more so than a non-menthol, regular water. Furthermore, the athletes’ best cycling performances were when they drank a menthol ice slush. For optimal endurance performance, add menthol to an ice slurry and bring it with you in a water bottle or hydration pack during endurance training/events.
If you don’t want to swish mouthwash around before a competition, consider a product such as NeuroMints—which contains natural caffeine for energy and other natural compounds that help prevent crashes. And unlike other “sugar-free” products, NeuroMints don’t contain artificial sweeteners that can lead to bloating and gas.
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EXTERNAL MENTHOL ISN’T AS EFFECTIVE FOR PERFORMANCE
In terms of improving athletic performance, there’s only one recent study that has shown any benefits for external menthol. A 2011 Physiology and Behaviorstudy found that applying an 8% menthol gel to the face increased total work completed during a cycling time trial by 21%. The participants in this study reported they were more comfortable and felt cooler from the menthol. A 2% menthol gel applied to the biceps has been found to increase joint range of motion after exercise-induced delayed onset muscle soreness.
Stevens adds that these two performance benefits are the only ones he has seen in research about external applications of menthol.
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MENTHOL SPRAYED ON CLOTHING MAKES YOU FEEL COOL
If you’re looking to try something new during your summer workouts, try spraying your clothes (or have a friend do this for you) with menthol. Doing this may make you feel cooler, without any negative effect on performance, according to a 2010 European Journal of Applied Physiologystudy. Participants in this study had their torso, back, and arms sprayed while wearing a long-sleeve 100% polyester shirt with either a .2% or .05% concentration of menthol. Both strengths resulted in a cooling effect during a cycling power test that lasted for 20 minutes.
If you’re looking to make your muscles feel colder than they actually are, spray menthol on your training gear prior to outdoor workouts for a unique sensation.
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MENTHOL GEL CAN REDUCE PAIN
The evidence surrounding menthol and pain relief isn’t just anecdotal. Some of the things Shaq says during those Icy Hot commercials are backed by science.
“Menthol has been demonstrated to reduce sensations of pain in several studies, but few have shown benefits pre/post-exercise,” says Stevens. “In one study, DOMS was induced with an eccentrically focused resistance training session; 48 hours after the session, the application of a menthol gel reduced the intensity of the pain associated with the soreness.”
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MENTHOL’S COOLING EFFECTS ARE ALL MENTAL
Although you might feel like internal or external menthol is cooling you down, you’re actually not GETTING any colder.
“Menthol only has a perceptual (i.e. feeling) effect,” says Stevens. “It does not physically reduce body temperature. The sweating response to external menthol application has not been investigated, but it is possibly that it could reduce sweating.”
In fact, the aforementioned research on sprayed menthol showed that body temperature actually increased with the 2% menthol spray following exercise. The reasons for this were not clear, but previous research suggests it could be due to menthol decreasing the amount we sweat or that menthol causes a vasoconstriction effect. This means menthol could possibly constrict blood vessels, which would increase blood pressure and ultimately make core temperature rise.
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PEPPERMINT MAY DECREASE LACTATE LEVELS
Peppermint is a hybrid of both spearmint and water mint, and contains a high concentration of menthol. In a 2010 Biomedical Human Kinetics study, participants had lower lactate levels following a 400m run by drinking peppermint-infused water compared to placebo. Although the actual running times didn’t differ between groups, blood lactate is a biomarker for muscle fatigue, so mint may help aid recovery during and after workouts. This could especially be the case during interval workouts where the lactate or anaerobic threshold is being reached and you’re producing lactate at a faster than usual rate.
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MENTHOL’S FUTURE IS BRIGHT
Peppermint, and thus menthol, is also available as an essential oil which can be diffused for the nasal and respiratory benefits. The global essential oils market, which includes peppermint, was set to increase by 9% from 2015-2020, which signals a surge in popularity for these oils. Also, there is still more research to be done on menthol as an ergogenic aid.
“I think menthol’s future is in endurance sports products such as drinks and gels,” says Stevens. “The combination of menthol with carbohydrates, electrolytes, and caffeine could be an effective supplement during endurance exercise in the heat.”
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PICK YOUR TOPICAL MENTHOL
For the possible pain relief of menthol, there is a plethora of topical products on the market ranging from patches, creams, gels, and rollers. Many of these products contain a combination of menthol and other ingredients designed to provide a sensory experience that distracts the mind from pain and shifts it toward cold, then holds. Some of our favorite topical menthol products are:
Icy Hot Stick (10% Menthol) Rock Sauce (10 % Menthol) Bio Freeze Gel (4% Menthol)
