A doctor known as @lifeofadoctor on TikTok has gone viral after he revealed the real reason we taste blood in our mouths after strenuous exercise.
The doctor, who is an emergency physician, explains in the video precisely how the taste of blood happens.
He said: “Right, this is going to blow some peoples minds, but if you ever went running and you started tasting blood, it’s actually because you were bleeding into your lungs.
“So, when you start exercising, your blood pressure goes up, there are these tiny sacs deep within your lungs where blood runs through to get oxygenated, and when that blood pressure gets high, some of those burst open, releasing blood into your lungs.
“So, when you go to exhale, that blood gets taken up your windpipe, into your mouth, and from there, your taste buds pick it up, and that's why you're tasting blood. It's actually your own."
The video has since got over 17.3 million views and over 2.5 million likes as people reacted to the revelation.
After watching the video, some followers became concerned about whether or not they should see a doctor if they taste blood while exercising.
One user said: “Okay but I think you forgot the part of video where you tell us if we should be concerned or not”.
Another said: “But is this okay!?! Omfg I’ve tasted blood my whole life even when I was a great athlete in high school!?”
Other’s joked that the explanation was the perfect excuse not to have to exercise as it may be too dangerous.
They said: “Note to self “sue PE teacher for making me bleed into my lungs as a child”.”
However, the doctor was quick to respond to these comments saying: “And just to clarify it’s a TINY TINY amount, so this is not an excuse to stop exercising!
“Don’t use me as your excuse”.
