3 days Ago By Sarah Berry
It’s a white powder that is, by some estimates , used by 80 per cent of elite distance runners. And according to a new study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology , it can enhance performance by about 1.4 per cent.
When the difference between winning and losing, or getting a PB or not, is typically less than one per cent, it can be a game-changer. But should we be trying bicarb soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate and baking soda) before our next big sporting event? Baking soda for the win? Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto While it’s more commonly used in cooking, as a teeth-whitener and as a DIY cleaner when mixed with vinegar, it has been researched for its performance-enhancing properties since the 1930s . Loading “It’s a product we’ve had in our toolbox for a long period of time, and there’s been numerous athletes who have used it to support their performance outcomes,” says Associate Professor Gary Slater, an advanced accredited sports dietitian at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
In fact, it is an Australian Institute of Sport Group A supplement , meaning it is permitted and has strong evidence for use in sports. However, the potential side effects of bicarb soda , which include gastrointestinal (GI) upsets such as nausea, stomach pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, have made it a risky supplement for athletes – until now. In a small new study, Swedish sports fuel company Maurten tested whether encasing baking soda (0.
3 grams of sodium bicarbonate per kilogram of body weight) in a hydrogel capsule helped it bypass reactions with stomach acid and release straight into the gut. They found no differences in GI issues between the baking soda group and the control group, yet the baking soda group completed a 40-kilometre cycling time trial about 60 seconds faster..
