Sodium Bicarbonate and Athletic Performance
Maximizing Sports Training Output With Baking Soda
Jan 22, 2009
Baking soda is good at removing musty smells from the refrigerator, but there is a growing body of research that supports its use as a performance aid for athletes. The active ingredient in baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, has the potential to wean off fatigue in hard training athletes allowing them to trainer longer and harder. Most serious athletes know that limiting factors such as fatigue interfere with the ability to sustain high levels of intensity during workouts or performances.
Sodium bicarbonate is naturally found in the body in small amounts. Referred to as an antacid, sodium bicarbonate effectively neutralizes acids. This is what why antacids such as Maalox or Tums are efficient at reducing the symptoms of conditions like acid reflux disease.
Muscles of intensely training athletes require large amounts of energy in relatively short periods of time. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the energy source used to meet intense exercise demands. But, ATP production resulting from intense training produces rising concentrations of a substrate called lactic acid.
Excess lactic acid creates an acidic environment for muscles that can interfere with contractions and energy production. The result of insufficient energy production and steadily rising concentrations of lactic acid usually equates to slowed exercise pace, fatigue and inevitably the stoppage of an exercise.
If sufficient amounts of sodium bicarbonate are ingested, blood becomes less acidic via buffering processes that also quicken the removal of lactic acid into the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, the acids can be used as an energy source elsewhere in the body. Acids removed from muscle cells abridge negative acidic-based affects, thereby muscles can work harder and longer before the onset of fatigue.
Ingesting sodium bicarbonate ninety minutes before intense training is suggested. However, there might be a downside to sodium bicarbonate use for athletic performance. Much of the research shows that large quantities of sodium carbonate must be ingested to acquire optimal results. As a result, there are a number of potential side effects associated to ingesting sodium bicarbonate including its acerb taste.
Dosages of fewer than 300 milligrams per kilogram of body weight do not seem very useful for optimal athletic performance. Much of the findings show effective dosages are those greater than 300 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, but such a high intake is associated with emesis, nausea, cramping and diarrhea in some athletes.
Drinking an abundance of water throughout a sodium bicarbonate ingestion-cycle is said to reduce side effects. Nonetheless, it is important to confer with a qualified health care professional before using sodium bicarbonate as a performance aid.
More information about the use of sodium bicarbonate as an ergogenic is available in Supplements for Strength-Power Athletes by Jose Antonio and Jeffrey R. Stout.
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