The good reputation of sodium bicarbonate is strengthened by the many uses that have been given to it in the home: in the kitchen, in cleaning and even in personal hygiene, its use and positive effects are more than proven.
There are, however, certain properties of sodium bicarbonate useful for sports and health, which have been less widely known but are just as significant as its other uses.
Many have already realized this, and little by little sodium bicarbonate has become popular as a supplement for athletes in gyms around the world.
Find out why baking soda has become a popular supplement in the diets of many athletes.
Baking Soda Guide
What is baking soda?
The chemical formula for sodium bicarbonate is NaHCO3, which describes it in simple terms as a slightly salty compound, made of sodium and bicarbonate ions.
As a chemical compound, it is found in many natural products, although the presentation that we know the most is that of the traditional white powder, the one that many use for baking, curing dandruff, cleaning kitchen utensils and many other practical uses.
How does baking soda work in the body?
To understand how baking soda works in the body , it is critical that we first understand what pH is and how it is affected by baking soda.
PH is a scale used to measure how alkaline or acidic a solution is. We say that a solution close to 7.0 is well balanced in pH. If the level is lower, we say that the pH is very acidic and if it is much higher we will say that it is very alkaline.
Sodium bicarbonate works by helping to balance these levels, preventing excessive fatigue from appearing .
What happens when the pH is out of balance?
When we are in the midst of anaerobic activity, the body begins to demand more oxygen than we usually have. The body’s response when this happens is to start burning lactic acid , which unbalances the pH in the muscle cells, bringing it to lower levels than usual.
The consequence of all this is that the muscles lose their ability to contract and recover, which leads to the fatigue and pain that we already know.
How does baking soda help regulate pH?
Baking soda has a pH concentration of 8.4. This means that during muscular activity, it will help raise the overall pH levels in the body to the desired concentration of 7.0.
The consequence of this is that the muscles will regain their ability to contract, avoiding fatigue and maintaining their resistance for longer.
How does sodium bicarbonate influence athletic performance?
1. Athletes in general
Studies conducted for more than 8 decades have shown that baking soda is especially useful in high intensity exercise. In routines of between 1 and 7 minutes, it has helped improve the endurance of many athletes. It is also notable that most of these benefits seem to present themselves at the end of each routine, which is always useful for any athlete. Studies in cyclists, runners and swimmers have shown promising results in this regard.
Despite these good figures, sodium bicarbonate does not seem to affect all people in the same way, and different results can be seen depending on the gender, age or sports activity of each person studied.
2. HIIT workouts
Interval workouts like the Tabata routine or CrossFit are among the most challenging of the body, and it is in them that the real benefits of baking soda can best be appreciated.
In general, several studies have reported that sodium bicarbonate helps increase performance during these types of routines between 1.7% and 8%, in athletes such as judokas, swimmers or runners.
On the other hand, an 8-week study also showed that a group of cyclists pedaled up to 133% more times after spending a month supplemented with sodium bicarbonate.
3. Muscle strength and coordination
Several studies have shown that consuming baking soda an hour before a weight routine can help increase strength during lifting. This benefit would apply mainly at the beginning of the series, but it is still significant.
This does not stop there, because apparently it also helps with the coordination of the muscles. One study showed, for example, that tennis players supplemented with sodium bicarbonate were shown to be more effective on most shots.
What are the health benefits of baking soda?
Not only athletes, but anyone can benefit from baking soda. Among the most notorious are the following:
- It helps reduce intestinal acidity, which is particularly useful in treating ulcers.
- Improves dental health, helping traditional toothpaste to remove dental plaque more efficiently.
- Improves response to cancer treatments.
- It slows down the progression of kidney diseases.
- Relieves insect bites, reducing itching when applied topically with a little water.
How to take baking soda?
As a supplement for athletes, baking soda is usually marketed in pill or tablet form. It also works in a traditional powder form.
Studies suggest that it is advisable to eat about 200 or 300 milligrams per kilo of weight an hour or an hour and a half before starting any sporting activity, in order to appreciate benefits. However, for some people this short time between eating and starting sports can lead to stomach problems.
A good option is to divide your daily dose of baking soda into 3-4 smaller doses and take them throughout the day to improve tolerance.
Does Baking Soda Have Side Effects?
Sodium bicarbonate usually has very few side effects, and almost all of them tend to be the result of individual conditions or aggressive ingestion. However, these are some of the most worth mentioning.
- Raising the pH levels in the blood excessively, which results in accelerating the heart rate and suffering from muscle spasms.
- When mixed with stomach acid, it can lead to dizziness or flatulence.
- It can raise sodium levels, compromising blood pressure.
- It can be counterproductive for patients with kidney disease, as it is likely to make them retain more fluid.
In the case of pregnant women, the ingestion of sodium bicarbonate is not recommended, for the reasons previously stated.
Conclution
As a supplement, baking soda poses very few negative effects and many benefits for athletes. However, it is still a supplement and the golden rule is not to abuse them.
An adequate amount of baking soda taken at convenient times and used as part of a proper exercise routine is not only helpful, but highly recommended.
Reference
- Alina Petre. Sodium Bicarbonate Supplements and Exercise Performance. For Authority Nutrition. [Revised July 2016]
