Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda,
is used as a medication to neutralize stomach acid in ulcer
patients and as a home remedy for stomach distress. Now
researchers in Greece have shown that it may neutralize the
acid in muscles during intense exercise and helps athletes to
exercise longer (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise,
October 2006).
If you run or cycle as hard as you can, you start to
breathe hard, and suddenly your leg muscles start to burn
because your muscles have become acidic. It’s the burning in
your muscles that forces you to slow down. Muscles get the
energy to move your body from the food that you eat.
Carbohydrates are broken down step by step in a chain of
reactions to release energy for your muscles. Each step requires
oxygen. If you have enough oxygen, the carbohydrates are
eventually broken down to carbon dioxide and water that you can
blow off from your lungs. However, if you can’t get all the oxygen
that you need, the series of reactions stops and lactic acid
accumulates in your muscles and spills over into your
bloodstream. The acidity in muscles caused by the accumulation
of lactic acid is what makes your muscles burn.
When acid is exposed to an alkaline or base, it combines
with it to neutralize the acid and form water. What would happen
when an athlete takes the base, sodium bicarbonate, before he
competes? He would be able to exercise longer if the
bicarbonate got into the muscle and neutralized the burning
caused by the acid. The authors of this study showed that higher doses
of sodium bicarbonate were more effective in preventing burning.
This exercise aid is still experimental, so we will have to wait for
further research to see if it really works.
January 15, 2007