Studies and experts suggest that nasal strips like Breathe Right don’t improve athletic performance in adults in any measure—, ventilation, maximal work rate, , or lowered ratings of perceived exertion. And it appears the same goes for horses.
“Equine nasal strips do not enhance equine performance,” Dr. Scott Palmer, equine medical director for the New York State Gaming Commission, .
Of course this whole nasal strip debate came up after underhorse California Chrome won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness wearing one. When it looked like California Chrome wouldn’t be allowed to wear the thing at Belmont Stakes—where he’d become the to nab the prestigious Triple Crown, if he won—the merits of nasal strips became a national topic of conversation. Researchers, however, were already writing the strips off 16 years ago. “Breathe Right nasal strips are ineffective in enhancing performance,” they .
The only people for whom nasal strips might provide some sort of advantage: adolescents. In , researchers concluded that nasal strips improve maximal oxygen uptake after submaximal exercise in athletes between the ages of 11 and 15.
So why would an adult athlete wear one? There’s a lot to be said for the mental side of sports. If an athlete’s been stripping his schnoz since the 49ers’ recover faster and ward off fatigue, why stop now? If he believes a strip makes him better, it just might. He could use it to put on his game face, without any known performance-harming side effects.