England players use new sports drink to help beat extreme heat at World Cup

England's national soccer team is using a brand-new sports drink to help players handle extreme heat at the World Cup in the United States. The drink is called CoreCtrl, and it was created by Alistair Brownlee, a British athlete who won two Olympic gold medals in triathlon. England's Football Association bought a large supply of the drink before the tournament began. The goal is to keep players' bodies cool during matches played in hot and humid conditions.

England's coach, Thomas Tuchel, has made staying cool a big part of the team's preparation for the World Cup. Players have been wearing cooling vests and special palm-cooling devices during training sessions in Kansas City. These tools help bring down body temperature quickly between drills and practice games. The team is taking heat management very seriously as the tournament goes on.

So far, England has played in mild and rainy weather in cities like Boston and New York. Their next match will be played indoors at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, so heat will not be a big problem there. However, if England keeps winning and advances further, they could face much hotter conditions. A round of 16 match would be played at high altitude in Mexico City, and a quarter-final would take place in the heat of Miami.

CoreCtrl is a powder that players mix with water before or during activity. It contains electrolytes, which are minerals that help the body stay hydrated and work properly. The key ingredient is something called L-taurine, a natural compound that is similar to an amino acid. Scientists have found that L-taurine helps the body start sweating at a lower temperature, which helps it lose heat faster and more efficiently.

Brownlee explained the science behind the drink in simple terms. A scientist named Jennifer Peel found that taking taurine for eight days helped people exercise better in the heat. Brownlee said the drink lowers the point at which the body starts to sweat and increases how fast it sweats, helping it shed heat more quickly. He tested the product on himself and said he "definitely noticed that I started sweating sooner."

Brownlee's interest in fighting heat exhaustion goes back to a scary moment in 2016. That year, his younger brother Jonny collapsed while leading a major triathlon race. Alistair ran to his brother's side and helped him cross the finish line, an act seen around the world. That experience made Alistair want to find better ways to protect athletes from dangerous heat.

Brownlee retired from professional sport two years ago after winning four world triathlon titles and two Olympic gold medals. He then teamed up with Goran Vasiljevic, a former tennis player turned businessman, to start a sports nutrition company called truefuels. CoreCtrl is one of the company's newest products, and it is already attracting attention at the highest level of international soccer. England's sports science team placed a private order of the drink for the players to use during the tournament.