Is it possible to swim after eating and where did this myth come from?

Since childhood, we've heard our parents tell us that we shouldn't swim right after eating. However, scientists say that such statements are a myth from the past.

Of course, swimming with a full stomach is difficult and not very pleasant. But it does not cause any harm to your body, writes IflScience.

"It used to be thought that after you ate, some of the blood might go into the intestines so you could digest the food, diverting blood flow away from your arms and legs. And you may become tired or exhausted and more likely to drown," said emergency medicine physician Dr. Michael Boniface.

However, these statements are not supported by scientific facts. These are just tips that can be found in the 1908 manual Scouting for Boys.

The book also says that if you bathe within an hour and a half after eating, that is, before the food is digested, you are very likely to have a cramp. And during a cramp, they say, you won't be able to move your arms or legs, so you will sink to the bottom.

Wild scares in a children's book look very wrong. In 2011, the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Board reviewed the available scientific literature on swimming after eating and found that in neither recreational nor competitive swimming "there are no fatal or nonfatal drownings" after eating a meal.

"There is currently no evidence to support any link between eating before swimming and drowning. The persistence of this myth is not actively harmful, but it is still a myth," the experts from the American Council summarized.

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