Can it be given to children? , a nitrogen pump that claims to be "a bottle of open-ended body test"

"Helping the physical exam, unleashing the potential" "One bottle to open up the physical exam" "Sprinting the physical exam, one step faster"... As the time for the high school entrance physical exam begins all over the country, the nitrogen pump, known as the "physical exam artifact" are getting more and more attention from people. On major e-commerce platforms and social media, the nitrogen pump has been promoted by many sellers and bloggers as a magical product that can improve physical fitness and enhance explosive power. It is especially favored by students and parents who are about to take the physical test for the high school entrance examination.

What is a nitrogen pump? How's the effect? Will teenagers use it to cause harm to their health? Can it be used in formal physical examination situations? Will it disrupt the order of sports venues? ...a series of questions raised by this remain to be asked.

The reporter searched various e-commerce platforms using the keyword "high school entrance examination sports" nitrogen pump, and found a series of slogans such as "One bottle can help you pass the exam", "Helps you get the physical exam ignited", "Special supplements for the 2024 physical exam" and so on. Functional beverages were recommended to the search results interface, including products with over 10,000 orders placed, with prices ranging from a dozen yuan to dozens of yuan.

"'Nitrogen Pump' is not a single element, it is a supplement composed of different ingredients. The main component of Nitrogen Pump is nitric oxide, which is derived from the fact that it can help bodybuilders better achieve muscle pumping after taking it. Jiao Haotian, a professional in the field of sports and fitness, told reporters that the working principle of the nitrogen pump is to expand blood vessels, increase blood flow to muscles, and improve muscle performance through the synthesis and decomposition of nitric oxide. In addition, common ingredients such as caffeine and theobromine in nitrogen pumps can also stimulate nerve excitement, enhance athletes' concentration, and boost their mental state.

Promotional effects such as "run faster" and "be in good condition and maintain endurance" have made the "wind" of nitrogen pump use blow to students' physical exams.

On major social platforms, discussions about nitrogen pumps continue to heat up.

Some parents and students "shared" their experience of using the nitrogen pump, saying that they did feel an improvement in physical fitness after using it, and it had a "much easier" effect.

However, many people reported that the expected results were not achieved after use. Some consumers ridiculed, "It's actually all psychological effects" and "The so-called 'nitrogen pump' is actually a bottle of sugar water, and it sells so expensively." Some candidates also reported Adverse reactions such as increased heart rate, dizziness, and vomiting may occur after use.

Similar situations have been exposed in many places, causing many students and parents who are planning to use nitrogen pumps to hesitate. In fact, many people are not fully sure whether nitrogen pumps are suitable for children's physical conditions.

The reporter randomly consulted a merchant selling nitrogen pump products, and the customer service said, "It is not suitable for pregnant women, lactating women and people under the age of 14." Another merchant’s customer service staff, “Nutritional Health Specialist Rui Rui,” also made it clear: “Nitrogen Pump is a drink that is consumed before exercising and is intended for fitness people. It is not recommended for use in physical exams.”

Recently, a parent of a junior high school student in Beijing told reporters that even though he did not know whether the nitrogen pump had side effects, his child still decided to take it before the physical education exam. "There is no way. There are many students in the class who drink it, but the dosage will be controlled." .

There are many students and parents with this mentality. The reason is that most parents have no choice but to say, "So what if there are side effects? 'One point, a thousand people' is not a joke"...

Uncovering the veil of "artifact" is actually food, not medicine

The reporter visited many pharmacies in Beijing, and the sales staff stated that they did not sell nitrogen pump-related products.

Subsequently, the reporter purchased a top-selling nitrogen pump liquid drink online. The label clearly stated that it contained "40 mg of red ginseng, 63 mg of caffeine, and 300 mg of taurine." The ingredients list was water and edible glucose. , edible flavors...

The ingredient list of another nitrogen pump product includes water, glucose, caffeine, ginseng powder and other ingredients. By comparing the ingredients of other types of energy drinks, they generally contain caffeine, taurine, nicotinamide, etc., which are claimed to "increase strength and supplement physical fitness."

The picture shows the main ingredients of various nitrogen pump products on sale.

Faced with complicated food labels, consumers generally express confusion and concern. The characterization and safety of nitrogen pumps have become the focus of public attention.

"Nitrogen pump, as a kind of sports nutrition food, has clear classification and technical indicators in my country, and the standard implemented is the "National Food Safety Standard Sports Nutrition Food General Principles"," said Beijing Jingdu Law Firm lawyer, Beijing Kyoto Food and Drug Law Zhang Sijia, deputy director of the research center, introduced.

It can indeed be seen on the detail pages of many nitrogen pump products that their implementation standards are marked as "GB24154".

The reporter consulted the information and found that the so-called sports nutrition foods refer to foods that are specially processed to meet the physiological metabolic state, exercise ability and special needs of certain nutrients for the exercising population.

The experts interviewed emphasized that the ingredients and dosage of sports nutrition foods such as nitrogen pumps are strictly limited.

Zhang Sijia introduced that speed and strength sports nutrition foods must add creatine, and the daily usable amount is 1-3 mg; endurance sports nutrition foods are recommended to add caffeine, and the daily usable amount is 20-100 mg; taurine can For added ingredients, the daily dosage should not exceed 0.6g.

"Caffeine is a second-class psychotropic drug controlled by the state. As a food additive, it is only allowed to be added to carbonated drinks such as cola." Yun Wuxin, a doctor of food engineering and a food and health popular science writer, particularly emphasized the particularity of caffeine as an ingredient. "Strictly Technically speaking, caffeine cannot be added to sports drinks, but in reality it’s a gray area.”

Yun Wuxin and Jiao Haotian expressed concerns about the safety of nitrogen pump products.

Yun Wuxin believes that although liquid nitrogen pump drinks containing caffeine and taurine may have certain benefits for adult sports people, for teenagers and children, drinking such drinks may have adverse effects on brain development.

"Excessive intake of stimulating ingredients such as caffeine may have adverse effects on the body." Jiao Haotian pointed out based on scientific data that supplements such as nitrogen pumps have potential risks for the special group of middle school students. The internal organs of middle school students are not fully developed and they lack the ability to control addictive substances. Rrash use of nitrogen pumps may cause long-term harm to them.

The reporter learned that there is no doping test in the current middle school physical examination, and the use of sports nutrition foods such as nitrogen pumps is not explicitly prohibited.

Jiao Haotian does not agree with middle school students using nitrogen pumps. He believes that the dosage of nitrogen pump should be determined based on factors such as individual organ load function, liver, kidney, and heart load function, and is an individualized choice. “If middle school students need to use supplements, the dosage and dosage should be strictly controlled under parent supervision. times, and have in-depth communication with professionals on the use of supplements and psychological dependence issues."

In fact, the fact that the ingredients and recommended dosage of nitrogen pumps have potential risks to minors, and why students are still able to make appointments to buy them, are related to the exaggerated publicity of the efficacy of nitrogen pumps by merchants.

A reporter's investigation found that many nitrogen pump products on current e-commerce platforms exaggerate their efficacy when promoting them. The efficacy of these products is not clearly marked on the bottle packaging, but on the display pictures on the e-commerce platform, slogans such as "powerful sprint" and "long-lasting endurance" are frequently displayed, and clearly point to "physical examination".

Jiao Haotian reminds you to carefully check the product ingredient list. The main ingredients of some products may be just ordinary ingredients such as water, glucose, and fructose, while the content of added ingredients that actually enhance sports performance is very small. Although such products are low-priced, the actual effect may not be significant, and it can even be said that consumers pay an "IQ tax."

From the perspective of public health, Yun Wuxin called on relevant departments to strictly control the product to prevent minors from drinking or using it by mistake. He suggested that beverages containing caffeine and taurine should be required to clearly state "not recommended for minors" on the label.

Regarding the promotion and sales of nitrogen pump products, Zhang Sijia pointed out that according to Article 28 of my country’s Advertising Law, if a merchant exaggerates the efficacy of nitrogen pump products in publicity and has a substantial impact on consumers, it constitutes false advertising. In this regard, relevant administrative departments should promptly investigate and deal with violations of laws and regulations, and strengthen compliance inspections on the advertising and marketing of nitrogen pump products. At the same time, e-commerce platforms should also assume corresponding responsibilities, promptly handle consumer complaints about merchants’ false advertising, and guide merchants to operate in compliance.

Zhang Sijia reminds consumers that when purchasing nitrogen pump products, they should carefully read the product description and ingredient list to understand the product's true efficacy and applicable groups. If consumers purchase nitrogen pump products due to false advertising by merchants and suffer damage, consumers can safeguard their rights in accordance with the relevant provisions of my country’s Consumer Rights Protection Law and Food Safety Law. “Specifically, consumers can request compensation from the operators, And request the administrative authorities to punish advertising operators and publishers; if it constitutes fraud, consumers can also ask the operators to increase compensation for their losses."