Drinking milk or water has no effect on the severity of optokinetic rotation-induced symptoms of motion sickness.

BACKGROUND

The present study investigated the effects of drinking milk or water before viewing an optokinetic rotation drum on the severity of motion sickness and abnormal gastric myoelectric activity.

METHODS

There were 27 subjects who drank 300 ml of milk or water, or drank nothing, in three separate sessions with 2-d intervals between every two sessions. Subjects in each session then viewed a vertically striped optokinetic rotation drum for 16 min. Symptoms of motion sickness and electrogastrograms (EGGs) were measured.

RESULTS

Subjects reported no significant difference in symptoms of motion sickness among sessions of drinking milk, water, or nothing. EGG recordings indicated that subjects in sessions of drinking milk and water significantly increased normal gastric myoelectric activity at EGG 3 cycles per minute (cpm). Subjects in all three sessions increased abnormal EGG activity at 4-9 cpm during drum rotation period, however, the ratios of EGG 4-9 cpm of drum rotation and baseline periods were not significantly different among sessions.

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrated that drinking milk or water before viewing an optokinetic rotation drum exhibited no effect on the severity of symptoms of motion sickness and abnormal gastric myoelectric activity.