Sodium Bicarbonate

Overview: 

Sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda, is a versatile compound often used in cooking and baking. It is a powder that reacts with acids to produce carbon dioxide, and can help the body balance pH. In the diet, it can be naturally found in certain foods, like vegetables and fruits, and is also available as a dietary supplement.

Simple: 

Sodium bicarbonate enhances exercise performance by improving the body’s ability to manage acid buildup in muscles, especially during high-intensity activities lasting more than 30 seconds. It works by increasing blood pH, which helps transport acid out of muscle cells, delaying fatigue and sustaining muscle function. Research shows significant benefits in endurance, peak power, and muscle endurance, particularly in longer sets of strength training. However, to achieve these effects, high doses of about 0.3 g/kg of body weight are often needed, although smaller doses may still offer benefits with fewer side effects. It is recommended to take this supplement about 60-180 minutes before training [1][2][3][4][5].

Complex:

The mechanism of action the absorption of sodium bicarbonate is pretty well understood. Sodium bicarbonate, when dissolved in water, breaks down into sodium and bicarbonate ions. In the stomach, bicarbonate neutralizes stomach acid, producing carbon dioxide (CO2), which can cause belching and bloating, a common side effect of this ingredient at high doses. This process also increases the pH in the stomach, leading to more bicarbonate being absorbed into the bloodstream. As bicarbonate enters the blood, it helps to balance acid levels in the body, especially in muscle cells. This improved balance supports better energy production in muscles during exercise. Some bicarbonate that doesn't react in the stomach continues to the intestines, where it is absorbed, further increasing bicarbonate levels in the blood. This explains the quick rise in blood bicarbonate levels after taking sodium bicarbonate [4]. 

The ergogenic effects during performance are a little less understood, but based on the science this is what we know. Sodium bicarbonate enhances performance during high-intensity exercise by improving the body's ability to manage acid build-up in muscles. During such exercise, your body relies on anaerobic systems like glycolysis for quick energy, which leads to the production of acid (H+) and lactate. These substances can cause muscle fatigue by interfering with energy production and muscle contraction. When sodium bicarbonate is ingested, it increases the body's buffering capacity by raising blood pH, which helps transport acid out of muscle cells more efficiently. This process delays the onset of muscle fatigue, allowing for sustained performance at high intensities. Additionally, sodium bicarbonate can help maintain muscle excitability by stabilizing key ions like potassium, further supporting muscle function during strenuous activities [4].

An important part of this review article was dosing and timing. After their review, it seemed that bouts that lasted less than 30 seconds were not adequate enough to provide a significant increase in power or times, however they did find that efforts that lasted more than 30 seconds did have significant changes in times to exhaustion, decreases in fatigue and peak power [4]. For the bodybuilders out there, this can be utilized on those longer set times and help push out a couple more reps until failure which should increase gains in the long term. This study and another review study does point out the high doses required to get the maximum performance enhancing effects from sodium bicarbonate which is from .3 g/kg of bodyweight, so a 170 pound person would likely have to ingest 23.1 g of sodium bicarbonate. Although Durkalec-Michalski et. al. found increases in mean power and peak power on the wingate test (cycling to measure power) in just 11.55 mg doses for a 170 lb person for reference [4]. For strength training, using that dosage of 0.3 g/kg of bodyweight, they found when doing very high repetitions, sodium bicarbonate seemed to increase the repetitions compared to placebo. They also found that the maximum time to hold weight increased from supplementation as well showing its possible buffering capacity at work [4]. Another study showed more evidence specifically for bench press and bicep curls how it does not affect one rep maxes or short sets, and seemed to help the most on longer repetition sets, where increases in peak power and increase in repetitions were observed [5]. Lastly, one review study that used studies that were lower doses of 125 mg taken 4 times daily reduced the typical negative side effects of taking large doses at once. They concluded that sodium bicarbonate supplementation quickly boosts peak anaerobic power, anaerobic capacity, endurance performance in events lasting about 45 seconds to 8 minutes, muscle endurance, 2000-meter rowing performance, and high-intensity intermittent running [3].

Works Cited:

1. Burke LM. Practical considerations for bicarbonate loading and sports performance. Nestle Nutr Inst Workshop Ser. 2013;75:15-26. doi: 10.1159/000345814. Epub 2013 Apr 16. PMID: 23765347.    
2. Durkalec-Michalski K, Nowaczyk PM, Adrian J, Kamińska J, Podgórski T. The influence of progressive-chronic and acute sodium bicarbonate supplementation on anaerobic power and specific performance in team sports: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. Nutr Metab (Lond) 2020;17:38. doi: 10.1186/s12986-020-00457-9.
3. Grgic J, Grgic I, Del Coso J, Schoenfeld BJ, Pedisic Z. Effects of sodium bicarbonate supplementation on exercise performance: an umbrella review. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021 Nov 18;18(1):71. doi: 10.1186/s12970-021-00469-7. PMID: 34794476; PMCID: PMC8600864.
4. Grgic J, Pedisic Z, Saunders B, Artioli GG, Schoenfeld BJ, McKenna MJ, Bishop DJ, Kreider RB, Stout JR, Kalman DS, Arent SM, VanDusseldorp TA, Lopez HL, Ziegenfuss TN, Burke LM, Antonio J, Campbell BI. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: sodium bicarbonate and exercise performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021 Sep 9;18(1):61. doi: 10.1186/s12970-021-00458-w. PMID: 34503527; PMCID: PMC8427947.
5. Varovic, Dorian1; Grgic, Jozo2; Schoenfeld, Brad Jon3; Vuk, Saša1. Ergogenic Effects of Sodium Bicarbonate on Resistance Exercise: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 37(8):p 1600-1608, August 2023. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004443