How we rate
“Strong” = several concordant meta-analyses or systematic reviews. “Moderate” = one synthesis, or several controlled trials. “Limited” = early trials only. The rating is about the quality of the studies, not about how useful the supplement is.
Sodium bicarbonate
Baking soda, used as a buffer against acidity that accumulates during short, very high-intensity efforts.
Benefits
- Delays fatigue on intense efforts lasting 45 seconds to 8 minutes: running, 2,000 m rowing, swimming, combat sports
- Allows you to string together more reps during a hypertrophy bodybuilding training session
- Maintains technical precision at the end of a match — serves and forehands in tennis, where the placebo degrades
- Improves performance on intermittent efforts, including at altitude
Precautions
Frequent and sometimes severe digestive distress (nausea, diarrhea): must be tested during training, never on the day of a competition. Taking them 3 hours before exercise, or in the form of delayed-release capsules, significantly reduces these inconveniences. High sodium intake, to be avoided in case of hypertension or a low-salt diet. Also good to know: it does not increase maximum strength, and response varies greatly from person to person — several trials in trained athletes find no gain.
Recommended dosage
0.2 to 0.5 g per kilo of body weight, with 0.3 g/kg being the optimal dose in a single intake, 60 to 180 minutes before exercise.
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How to take it
- When: between 60 and 180 minutes before exercise. One trial compared 60, 120, and 180 minutes: the effect was the same, but the stomach tolerated intake much better at 180 minutes.
- If your stomach can't handle it: delayed-release capsules reduce digestive distress, provided you take them earlier, because the peak in the blood arrives later.
- To be tested first in training: in elite rugby players, it brought nothing to the sprint and increased digestive distress. The authors advise trying it before using it in competition.
- For which efforts: efforts lasting 45 seconds to 8 minutes, muscular endurance, and repeated sprints. Not maximum strength.
- Tuned to you: in elite rowers, timing the intake to one's own blood peak gave a small extra gain compared to a standard intake. The response varies from one person to another, and even from one intake to another.
- With caffeine: in rowers, the combination caused digestive distress that could wipe out the gain.
- Less digestive distress: the ISSN advises lower doses, a tailored timing, taking it with a carbohydrate-rich meal, or enteric-coated capsules.
What the studies say
This comprehensive review of meta-analyses synthesized the effects of sodium bicarbonate supplementation on physical performance. It concludes that sodium bicarbonate acutely improves peak anaerobic power, anaerobic capacity, endurance for efforts lasting 45 seconds to 8 minutes, muscular endurance, 2000-meter rowing performance, and high-intensity intermittent running. Further research is needed to better understand its effects in women.
Grgic J, Grgic I, Del Coso J, Schoenfeld BJ, Pedisic Z. — Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2021) — View the source study
For information only: not a substitute for medical advice. Dietary supplements are not a replacement for a varied, balanced diet. Learn more