Impact of acute sodium citrate ingestion on endurance running performance in a warm environment

Abstract

Acute CIT ingestion induces alkalosis, water retention, plasma volume expansion and an increase in post-exercise blood lactate concentration, but does not improve 5,000-m running performance in a warm environment in non-heat-acclimated endurance-trained males.

Time to Optimize Supplementation: Modifying Factors Influencing the Individual Responses to Extracellular Buffering Agents

“…Significant increases in bicarbonate were shown 90 min following a dose as low as 0.1 g·kg −1 BM, but since circulating bicarbonate increased in a linear fashion, and the greatest amount of work completed during a 60-s maximal exercise test was following a 0.5 g·kg −1 BM dose, this was considered the most effective. And yet, despite impressive increases in blood bicarbonate following SC supplementation, numerous studies have shown no effect on exercise capacity or performance ( 55 – 57 ). In fact, meta-analytic data showed an unclear effect of SC on exercise, with pre-exercise alkalosis associated with a small but unclear effect on performance ( 2 ).…”

Sodium citrate supplementation: An updated revision and practical recommendations on exercise performance, hydration status, and potential risks

“…40 years after the study of Johnson and Black, findings from McNoughton et al showed a linear increase of blood bicarbonate following SC doses in the range from 0.1 to 0.5 g × kg −1 bw but only the dose of 0.5 g × kg −1 bw appears to be the minimal effective required for performance enhancement during anaerobic cycle ergometer test of 1 minute 41 . The suggested dose of 0.5 g × kg −1 bw (35 g for a subject of 70 kg) appeared to be the most appropriate in subsequent trials by other authors, 22,42‐51 very much higher than the 5 g in single‐dose bolus used by Johnson and Black 40 . However, a later slow decline in the interest for new investigations on the potential role of SC as ergogenic aid derived from a meta‐analysis published in 2011, showing the lack of a clear effect on performance (0.0 ± 1.3%) from a typical SC dose of 0.5 g × kg −1 bw 20 .…”

“…In fact, some initial results suggest that to supplement SC at the dose of 0.5 g × kg −1 bw or higher with a timing above 90 minutes is able to improve endurance performance(3 km and 5 km time trials in elite multidisciplinary athletes and well‐trained college runners respectively) in presence of controlled experimental conditions in double‐blind randomized trials 22,45 . However, findings from other field studies suggested that the ergogenic effect of SC supplementation on running performance may not occur in the real competitive world 46,48 . For example, acute SC assumption induced alkalosis and plasma volume expansion by improving water retention but this was not associated with ergogenic effects in a running race of 5000 m, performed in warm environment and that involved non‐heat acclimated endurance‐trained males.…”

“…Even in this case, the supplementation was not associated with significant increase in performance measured as peak power. As enhanced plasma volume may improve endurance performance by fighting against the increase in core body temperature, 69 recent studies investigated the potential benefits of SC ingestion in endurance sports performed in warm environmental conditions 34,48,70 . Mora‐Rodriguez and Hamouti focused on the importance of pre‐exercise plasma volume expansion in endurance performance following the ingestion of saline solutions and showed that acute plasma volume expansion in the range of 7%‐8% can improve performance of 20% on average 69 .…”

“…All the studies mentioned above used SC powder in solution with water or sugar‐free beverages. In 2014, Vaher used capsules of SC, instead of water solution, to investigate performance in 5000 m runs 48 . The subjects ingested gelatine capsules containing either SC (0.5 g × kg −1 bw) or placebo.…”