Effects of Sodium Bicarbonate Ingestion on Anaerobic Performance: A Meta-Analytic Review

Abstract

Many researchers have investigated the effects of induced metabolic alkalosis, by ingestion of sodium bicarbonate, on anaerobic exercise performance. But the results have been inconsistent and often contradictory. The purpose of this review was to synthesize the varied findings using a meta-analytic approach. Twenty-nine investigations met our inclusion criteria. Results show that NaHCO, ingestion clearly results in a more alkaline extracellular environment. The dosage, however, was only moderately related to the increase in pH and HC0,-. Overall, performance was enhanced but the range of effect sizes was large, -0.12 to 2.87. In studies that measured time to exhaustion, there was a mean 27*20% increase in duration. The treatment effect, however, was only weakly related to the degree of induced alkalosis. But in comparing the 19 studies that showed a positive treatment effect with the 16 that showed no effect, the former were associated with a greater increase in pH following ingestion of a somewhat larger dosage, and a greater decrease in pH with exercise.Key Words: bicarbonate loading, ergogenic aids, anaerobic, meta-analysis When exercise is of a near maximal intensity and lasts longer than approximately 20 to 30 seconds, the energy for this work is derived primarily from anaerobic glycolysis. While allowing for the rapid transfer of energy within the working muscle fibers themselves, the total capacity of this system is limited. Without the benefit of oxidative metabolism to remove hydrogen ions from the cell, there is a progressive increase in the acidity of the intracellular environment, resulting in fatigue and the inability to maintain the exercise intensity.The precise mechanism by which increasing acidosis causes muscular fatigue is not clear, but it has been suggested that the accumulation of hydrogen ions may directly inhibit the contractile process by inhibiting the release of Ca++ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, as well as by reducing the activity of glycolytic enzymes and by impairing the propagation of neural impulses (23). As exercise progresses, various buffering mechanisms function to sequester hydrogen ions and thus forestall the decrement in blood and muscular pH. Eventually when

Effect of low oxygen inhalation on changes in blood pH, lactate, and ammonia due to exercise

“…In the present study, blood HCO 3 ) decreased in all three tests but, similarly to pH, it tended to remain higher during exhaustive exercise in HP than in MAX. The differences in HCO 3 ) concentrations between the corresponding pre-exercise resting levels and the exercise-induced minimum levels (Maston and Tran 1993) together with the buffer base reductions indicate that nearly the same amount of H + was released from the exercising muscles in HP and in MAX in the present study. The absence of differences in proton efflux, when pH was consistently higher in HP than in MAX, is in line with the notion that pH differences in the range of 0.2-0.8 units have no influence on lactate-independent H + transport (Bangsbo et al 1997).…”

Effects of Gas Exchange on Acid‐Base Balance

“…The rationale behind this is that attenuating the intracellular acidosis should relieve some of the purported inhibitory effects of [H + ] on rate-limiting enzymes (116), and that attenuating the extracellular acidosis will facilitate the efflux of lactate − from contracting muscles via monocarboxylate transport protein (MCT) IV (147). This rationale has been supported by in vitro (183,189), in situ (173), and in vivo (190) studies showing enhanced muscle lactate − production and release, and enhanced muscle performance in some, though not all, studies (173,190). Even less well understood are the effects of ingesting alkalinizing substances on respiratory gas exchange at rest and during exercise.…”

Influence of Acqua Lete® (Bicarbonate Calcic Natural Mineral Water) Hydration on Blood Lactate After Exercise

“…Lactate production is compensated by the displacement of bicarbonate into carbon dioxide, which is lost through the lungs during exercise more rapidly than it is produced by cell respiration [5]. Alkalinizing agents including sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 ), mineral-based alkaline bottled water, nutritional drinks and mineral waters containing more than 600 mg/L of bicarbonate, have been proposed for their potential effects on providing enhanced extracellular buffer capacity, leading to the elevated proton efflux from the contracting musculature [6][7][8] and elevated plasma HCO 3 -can improve exercise endurance in humans [9]. According to current EEC directives mineral waters, are of underground origin, protected from contamination, and microbiologically wholesome; present a peculiar and constant chemical composition, and have favorable effects on health; they must be bottled at source into safe and checked containers.…”