Practical recommendations for coaches and athletes: Ameta-analysis of sodium bicarbonate use for athletic performance

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

Volumn 26, Issue 7, 2012, Pages 1975-1983

  Peart, Daniel J ^a   Siegler, Jason C ^b   Vince, Rebecca V ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF HULL   (United Kingdom)

^b UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN SYDNEY   (Australia)

Author keywords

Alkalosis; Buffering; Ergogenic aid; Nutrition

Indexed keywords

BICARBONATE; BUFFER;

ACIDOSIS; ALKALOSIS; ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE; CHEMICALLY INDUCED DISORDER; HUMAN; META ANALYSIS; PHYSIOLOGY; REVIEW;

ACIDOSIS; ALKALOSIS; ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE; BUFFERS; HUMANS; SODIUM BICARBONATE;

EID: 84863674668     PISSN: 10648011     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182576f3d     Document Type: Review

References (96)

1. Artioli, GG, Gualano, B, Coelho, DF, Benatti, FB, Galley, AW, and Lancha, AH. Does sodium-bicarbonate ingestion improve simulated judo performance? Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 17: 206-217, 2007.
2. Aschenbach, W, Ocel, J, Craft, L, Ward, C, Spangenburg, E, and Williams, J. Effect of oral sodium loading on high-intensity arm ergometry in college wrestlers. Med Sci Sports Exerc 32:669-675, 2000.
3. Balberman, SE and Roby, FB. The effects of induced alkalosis and acidosis on the work capacity of the quadriceps and hamstrings muscle groups. Int J Sports Med 4:143, 1983.
4. Bird, SR, Wiles, J, and Robbins, J. The effect of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on 1500-m racing time. J Sports Sci 13:399-403, 1995.
5. Bishop, D and Claudius, B. Effects of induced metabolic alkalosis on prolonged intermittent-sprint performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 37: 759-767, 2005.
6. Bishop, D, Edge, J, Davis, C, and Goodman, C. Induced metabolic alkalosis affects muscle metabolism and repeated-sprint ability. Med Sci Sports Exerc 36:807-813, 2004.
7. Bouissou, P, Defer, G, Guezennec, CY, Estrade, PY, and Serrurier, B. Metabolic and blood catecholamine responses to exercise during alkalosis. Med Sci Sports Exerc 20:228-232, 1988.
8. Brien, D and McKenzie, D. The effect of induced alkalosis and acidosis on plasma lactate and work output in elite oarsmen. Eur J Appl Phsiol Occup Physiol 58:797-802, 1989.
9. Burke, LM and Pyne, DB. Bicarbonate loading to enhance training and competitive performance. Int J Sport Physiol Perform 2: 93-97, 2007.
10. Calfee, R and Fadale, P. Popular ergogenic drugs and supplements in young athletes. Pediatrics 117:e577-e589, 2006.
11. Cameron, SL, McLay-Cooke, RT, Brown, RC, Gray, AR, and Fairbairn, KA. Increased blood pH but not performance with sodium bicarbonate supplementation in elite rugby union players. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 20:307-321, 2010.
12. Carr, AJ, Gore, CJ, and Dawson, B. Induced alkalosis and caffeine supplementation: Effects on 2,000-m rowing performance. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 21:357-364, 2011.
13. Carr, AJ, Slater, GJ, Gore, CG, Dawson, B, and Burke, LM. Effect of sodium bicarbonate on [HCO3 2], pH, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 21:189-194, 2011.
14. Cho, S, Chung, D, Park, S, and Choi, I. The effect of induced metabolic alkalosis with sodium bicarbonate on racing time, maximal oxygen uptake and anaerobic lactate threshold in competitive cyclists. Korean J Sports Sci 2:71-84, 1990.
15. Coombes, J and McNaughton, LR. Effects of bicarbonate ingestion on leg strength and power during isokinetic knee flexion and extension. J Strength Cond Res 7:241-249, 1993.
16. Costill, DL, Verstappen, F, Kuipers, H, Janssen, E, and Fink, W. Acid-base balance during repeated bouts of exercise: Influence of HCO3. Int J Sports Med 5:228-231, 1984.
17. Dennig, H, Talbott, JH, Edwards, HT, and Dill, DB. Effect of acidosis and alkalosis upon capacity for work. J Clin Invest 9:601-613, 1931.
18. Dill, DB, Edwards, HT, and Talbott, JH. Alkalosis and the capacity for work. J Biol Chem 97:58-59, 1932.
19. Edge, J, Bishop, D, and Goodman, C. The effects of training intensity on muscle buffer capacity in females. Eur J Appl Physiol 96: 97-105, 2006.
20. Gaitanos, GC, Nevill, ME, Brooks, S, and Williams, C. Repeated bouts of sprint running after induced alkalosis. J Sports Sci 9: 355-370, 1991.
21. Gao, J, Costill, D, Horswill, C, and Park, S. Sodium bicarbonate ingestion improves performance in interval swimming. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 58:171-174, 1988.
22. Goldfinch, J, McNaughton, L, and Davies, P. Induced metabolic alkalosis and its effects on 400-m racing time. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup 57:45-48, 1988.
23. Hooker, S, Morgan, C, and Wells, C. Effect of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on time to exhaustion and blood lactate of 10k runners. Med Sci Sports Exerc 19:S68, 1987.
24. Horswill, CA, Costill, DL, Fink, WJ, Flynn, MG, Kirwan, JP, Mitchell, JB, and Houmard, JA. Influence of sodium bicarbonate on sprint performance: Relationship to dosage. Med Sci Sports Exerc 20: 566-569, 1988.
25. Housh, T, deVries, H, Johnson, G, Evans, S, and McDowell, S. The effect of ammonium chloride and sodium bicarbonate ingestion on the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold. Eur J Appl Phsiol Occup Physiol 62:189-192, 1991.
26. Hunter, AM, De Vito, G, Bolger, C, Mullany, H, and Galloway, SDR. The effect of induced alkalosis and submaximal cycling on neuromuscular response during sustained isometric contraction. J Sports Sci 27:1261-1269, 2009.
27. Inbar, O, Rotstein, A, Jacobs, I, Kaiser, P, Dlin, R, and Dotan, R. The effects of alkaline treatment on short-term maximal exercise. J Sports Sci 1:95-104, 1983.
28. Iwaoka, K, Okagawa, S, Mutih, Y, and Miyashita, M. Effects of bicarbonate ingestion on the respiratory compensation threshold and maximal exercise performance. Jpn J Physiol 39: 255-265, 1989.
29. Jones, NL, Sutton, JR, Taylor, R, and Toews, CJ. Effect of pH on cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses to exercise. J Appl Physiol 43:959-964, 1977.
30. Joyce, S, Minahan, C, Anderson, M, and Osborne, M. Acute and chronic loading of sodium bicarbonate in highly trained swimmers. Eur J Appl Physiol 112:1-9, 2011.
31. Juel, C. Regulation of pH in human skeletal muscle: Adaptations to physical activity. Acta Physiol 193:17-24, 2008.
32. Katz, A, Costill, DL, King, DS, Hargreaves, M, and Fink, WJ. Maximal exercise tolerance after induced alkalosis. Int J Sports Med 5:107-110, 1984.
33. Kindermann, W, Keul, J, and Huber, G. Physical exercise after induced alkalosis (bicarbonate or tris-buffer). Eur J Appl Phsiol Occup Physiol 37:197-204, 1977.
34. Kowalchuk, JM, Heigenhauser, GJ, and Jones, NL. Effect of pH on metabolic and cardiorespiratory responses during progressive exercise. J Appl Physiol 57:1558-1563, 1984.
35. Kozak-Collins, K, Burke, ER, and Schoene, RB. Sodium-bicarbonate ingestion does not improve performance in women cyclists. Med Sci Sports Exer 26:1510-1515, 1994.
36. Kupcis, PD, Slater, GJ, Pruscino, CL, and Kemp, JG. Influence of sodium bicarbonate on performance and hydration in lightweight rowing. Int J Sport Physiol Perf 7:11-18, 2012.
37. Lavender, G and Bird, SR. Effect of sodium bicarbonate ingestion upon repeated sprints. Brit J Sports Med 23:41-45, 1989.
38. Linderman, J, Kirk, L, Musselman, J, Dolinar, B, and Fahey, TD. The effects of sodium bicarbonate and pyridoxine-alpha-ketoglutarate on short-term maximal exercise capacity. J Sports Sci 10:243-253, 1992.
39. Lindh, AM, Peyrebrune, MC, Ingham, SA, Bailey, DM, and Folland, JP. Sodium bicarbonate improves swimming performance. Int J Sports Med 29:519-523, 2008.
40. Margaria, R, Aghemo, P, and Sassi, G. Effect of alkalosis on performance and lactate formation in supramaximal exercise. Eur J Appl Phsiol Occup Physiol 29:215-223, 1971.
41. Marx, J, Gordon, S, Vos, N, Nindl, B, Gómez, A, Volek, J, Pedro, J, Ratamess, N, Newton, R, French, D, Rubin, M, Häkkinen, K, and Kraemer, W. Effect of alkalosis on plasma epinephrine responses to high intensity cycle exercise in humans. Eur J Appl Physiol 87: 72-77, 2002.
42. Materko, W, Santos, EL, and Novaes, JS. Effect of bicarbonate supplementation on muscular strength. J Exerc Physiol Online 11: 25-33, 2008.
43. Matson, LG and Tran, ZV. Effects of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on anaerobic performance: A meta-analytic review. Int J Sport Nutr 3:2-28, 1993.
44. Matsuura, R, Arimitsu, T, Kimura, T, Yunoki, T, and Yano, T. Effect of oral administration of sodium bicarbonate on surface EMG activity during repeated cycling sprints. Eur J Appl Physiol 101: 409-417, 2007.
45. Maughan, RJ. Contamination of dietary supplements and positive drug tests in sport. J Sports Sci 23:883-889, 2005.
46. McCartney, N, Heigenhauser, GJ, and Jones, NL. Effects of pH on maximal power output and fatigue during short-term dynamic exercise. J Appl Physiol 55:225-229, 1983.
47. McClung, M and Collins, D. "Because I know it will!": Placebo effects of an ergogenic aid on athletic performance. J Sport Exerc Psychol 29:382-394, 2007.
48. McKenzie, DC. Changes in urinary pH following bicarbonate loading. Can J Sport Sci 13:254-256, 1988.
49. McNaughton, L, Dalton, B, and Palmer, G. Sodium bicarbonate can be used as an ergogenic aid in high-intensity, competitive cycle ergometry of 1 h duration. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 80:64-69, 1999.
50. McNaughton, LR. Bicarbonate ingestion: Effects of dosage on 60 s cycle ergometry. J Sports Sci 10:415-423, 1992.
51. McNaughton, LR. Sodium bicarbonate ingestion and its effects on anaerobic exercise of various durations. J Sports Sci 10: 425-435, 1992.
52. McNaughton, LR, Siegler, JC, and Midgley, A. The ergogenic effect of sodium bicarbonate. Curr Sport Med Rep 7:230-236, 2008.
53. Mero, AA, Keskinen, KL, Malvela, MT, and Sallinen, JM. Combined creatine and sodium bicarbonate supplementation enhances interval swimming. J Strength Cond Res 18:306-310, 2004.
54. Nieper, A. Nutritional supplement practices in UK junior national track and field athletes. Br J Sports Med 39:645-649, 2005.
55. Parry-Billings, M and MacLaren, DP. The effect of sodium bicarbonate and sodium citrate ingestion on anaerobic power during intermittent exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 55: 524-529, 1986.
56. Pierce, EF, Eastman, NW, Hammer, WH, and Lynn, TD. Effect of induced alkalosis on swimming time trials. J Sports Sci 10: 255-259, 1992.
57. Portington, KJ, Pascoe, DD, Webster, MJ, Anderson, LH, Rutland, RR, and Gladden, LB. Effect of induced alkalosis on exhaustive leg press performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 30: 523-528, 1998.
58. Potteiger, JA, Webster, MJ, Nickel, GL, Haub, MD, and Palmer, RJ. The effects of buffer ingestion on metabolic factors related to distance running performance. Eur J Appl Phsiol Occup Physiol 72: 365-371, 1996.
59. Poulus, A, Docter, H, and Westra, H. Acid-base balance and subjective feelings of fatigue during physical exercise. Eur J Appl Phsiol Occup Physiol 33:207-213, 1974.
60. Price, M, Moss, P, and Rance, S. Effects of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on prolonged intermittent exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc 35:1303-1308, 2003.
61. Price, MJ and Simons, C. The effect of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on high-intensity intermittent running and subsequent performance. J Strength Cond Res 24:1834-1842, 2010.
62. Pruscino, CL, Ross, MLR, Gregory, JR, Savage, B, and Flanagan, TR. Effects of sodium bicarbonate, caffeine, and their combination on repeated 200-m freestyle performance. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 18:116-130, 2008.
63. Raymer, GH, Marsh, GD, Kowalchuk, JM, and Thompson, RT. Metabolic effects of induced alkalosis during progressive forearm exercise to fatigue. J Appl Physiol 96:2050-2056, 2004.
64. Renfree, A. The time course for changes in plasma [H+] after sodium bicarbonate ingestion. Int J Sport Physiol Perform 2:323-326, 2007.
65. Requena, B, Zabala, M, Padial, P, and Feriche, B. Sodium bicarbonate and sodium citrate: Ergogenic aids? J Strength Cond Res 19:213-224, 2005.
66. Robergs, R, Hutchinson, K, Hendee, S, Madden, S, and Siegler, J. Influence of pre-exercise acidosis and alkalosis on the kinetics of acid-base recovery following intense exercise. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 15:59-74, 2005.
67. Roberston, RJ, Falkel, JE, Drash, AL, Swank, AM, Metz, KF, Spungen, SA, and LeBoeuf, JR. Effect of blood pH on peripheral and central signals of perceived exertion. Med Sci Sports Exerc 18: 114-122, 1986.
68. Robertson, RJ, Falkel, JE, Drash, AL, Swank, AM, Metz, KF, Spungen, SA, and Leboeuf, JR. Effect of induced alkalosis on physical work capacity during arm and leg exercise. Ergonomics 30: 19-31, 1987.
69. Ronsen, O, Sundgot-Borgen, J, and Maehlum, S. Supplement use and nutritional habits in Norwegian elite athletes. Scand J Med Sci Sports 9:28-35, 1999.
70. Rupp, JC, Bartels, RL, Zuelzer, W, Fox, EL, and Clark, RN. Effect op sodium bicarbonate digestion on blood and muscle pH and exercise performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 15:115, 1983.
71. Shelton, J and Praveen Kumar, GV. Sodium bicarbonate-A potent ergogenic aid? Food Nutr Sci 1:1-4, 2010.
72. Siegler, JC and Gleadall-Siddall, DO. Sodium bicarbonate ingestion and repeated swim sprint performance. J Strength Cond Res 24:3105-3111, 2010.
73. Siegler, JC and Hirscher, K. Sodium bicarbonate ingestion and boxing performance. J Strength Cond Res 24:103-108, 2010.
74. Siegler, JC, Keatley, S, Midgley, AW, Nevill, AM, and McNaughton, LR. Pre-exercise alkalosis and acid-base recovery. Int J Sports Med 29:545-551, 2008.
75. Siegler, JC, McNaughton, LR, Midgley, AW, Keatley, S, and Hillman, A. Metabolic alkalosis, recovery and sprint performance. Int J Sports Med 31:797-802, 2010.
76. Siegler, JC, Midgley, AW, Polman, RCJ, and Lever, R. Effects of various sodium bicarbonate loading protocols on the timedependent extracellular buffering profile. J Strength Cond Res 24: 2551-2557, 2010.
77. Sostaric, SM, Skinner, SL, Brown, MJ, Sangkabutra, T, Medved, I, Medley, T, Selig, SE, Fairweather, I, Rutar, D, and McKenna, MJ. Alkalosis increases muscle K+ release, but lowers plasma [K+] and delays fatigue during dynamic forearm exercise. J Physiol 570: 185-205, 2006.
78. Stephens, TJ,McKenna,MJ, Canny, BJ, Snow, RJ, and McConell, GK. Effect of sodium bicarbonate on muscle metabolism during intense endurance cycling. Med Sci Sports Exerc 34:614-621, 2002.
79. Sutton, JR, Jones, NL, and Toews, CJ. Growth hormone secretion in acid-base alterations at rest and during exercise. Clin Sci Mol Med 50: 241-247, 1976.
80. Sutton, JR, Jones, NL, and Toews, CJ. Effect of pH on muscle glycolysis during exercise. Clin Sci (Lond) 61:331-338, 1981.
81. Swank, A and Robertson, RJ. Effect of induced alkalosis on perception of exertion during intermittent exercise. J Appl Physiol 67: 1862-1867, 1989.
82. Swank, AM and Roberston, RJ. Effect of induced alkalosis on perception of exertion during exercise recovery. J Strength Cond Res 16:491-499, 2002.
83. Tan, F, Polglaze, T, Cox, G, Dawson, B, Mujika, I, and Clark, S. Effects of induced alkalosis on simulated match performance in elite female water polo players. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 20: 198-205, 2010.
84. Tiryaki, GR and Atterbom, HA. The effects of sodium bicarbonate and sodium citrate on 600 m running time of trained females. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 35:194-198, 1995.
85. Van Montfoort, MCE, Van Dieren, L, Hopkins, WG, and Shearman, JP. Effects of ingestion of bicarbonate, citrate, lactate, and chloride on sprint running. Med Sci Sports Exerc 36: 1239-1243, 2004.
86. Vanhatalo, A, McNaughton, LR, Siegler, J, and Jones, AM. Effect of induced alkalosis on the power-duration relationship for "All-out" Exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc 42:563-570, 2010.
87. Verbitsky, O, Mizrahi, J, Levin, M, and Isakov, E. Effect of ingested sodium bicarbonate on muscle force, fatigue, and recovery. J Appl Physiol 83:333-337, 1997.
88. Wahl, P, Zinner, C, Achtzehn, S, Bloch, W, and Mester, J. Effect of high- and low-intensity exercise and metabolic acidosis on levels of GH, IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and cortisol. Growth Horm IGF Res 20: 380-385, 2010.
89. Webster, MJ, Webster, MN, Crawford, RE, and Gladden, LB. Effect of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on exhaustive resistance exercise performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 25:960-965, 1993.
90. Weston, AR, Myburgh, KH, Lindsay, FH, Dennis, SC, Noakes, TD, and Hawley, JA. Skeletal muscle buffering capacity and endurance performance after high-intensity interval training by well-trained cyclists. Eur J Appl Phsiol Occup Physiol 75:7-13, 1996.
91. Wijnen, S, Verstappen, F, and Kuippers, H. The influence of intravenous sodium bicarbonate administration on interval exercise: Acid-base balance and endurance. Int J Sports Med 5: 130-132, 1984.
92. Wilkes, D, Gledhill, N, and Smyth, R. Effect of acute induced metabolic alkalosis on 800-m racing time. Med Sci Sports Exerc 15: 277-280, 1983.
93. Wu, C-L, Shih, M-C, Yang, C-C, Huang, M-H, and Chang, C-K. Sodium bicarbonate supplementation prevents skilled tennis performance decline after a simulated match. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 7: 33, 2010.
94. Zabala, M, Peinado, A, Calderón, F, Sampedro, J, Castillo, M, and Benito, P. Bicarbonate ingestion has no ergogenic effect on consecutive all out sprint tests in bmx elite cyclists. Eur J Appl Physiol 111:1-8, 2011.
95. Zabala, M, Requena, B, Sanchez-Munoz, C, Gonzalez-Badillo, JJ, Garcia, I, Oopik, V, and Paasuke, M. Effects of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on performance and perceptual responses in a laboratorysimulated BMX cycling qualification series. J Strength Cond Res 22: 1645-1653, 2008.
96. Zajac, A, Cholewa, J, Poprzecki, S, Waskiewicz, Z, and Langfort, J. Effects of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on swim performance in youth athletes. J Sports Sci Med 8:45-50, 2009.