Acute and chronic effects of NaHCO3 supplementation during exercise: a critical review

  • Alaor Cristian Rodrigues Departamento de Educação Física, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa-MG, Brasil.
  • Wanderson Matheus Lopes Machado Mestrando no Programa de Nutrição e Saúde, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras-MG, Brasil.
  • Claudia Eliza Patrocínio Oliveira Departamento de Educação Física, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa-MG, Brasil.
  • Osvaldo Costa Moreira Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Florestal-MG, Brasil.
Keywords: Sodium bicarbonate, Endurance, Physical training, NaHCO3, Physical exercise

Abstract

One of the reasons for the generation of muscle fatigue in high-intensity physical training is associated with the decrease in pH and accumulation of H+, thus favoring the process of metabolic acidosis. Studies point to the possibility of using sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) as an ergogenic process in order to attenuate the effects of fatigue during training. Thus, the present study aimed to carry out a critical review of the literature in order to analyze the acute and chronic effects of NaHCO3 supplementation during exercise. The review in question was carried out through electronic research on academic websites, such as Google Scholar, Scielo, PubMed, RBNE, without date restriction. Scientific articles were analyzed with emphasis on human beings and terms such as: sodium bicarbonate; and exercises, articles in English and Portuguese were considered, articles that did not fit the specifications were discarded. It is concluded that NaHCO3 ingestion stimulated the bicarbonate buffering process by the alkalinization of the intracellular medium, thus stimulating changes in pH and in the transport of lactate/H+ from the intracellular to the extracellular medium. The effects of ingestion of NaHCO3 chronically and acutely showed an increase in performance in relation to placebo, however, studies were found that did not obtain changes in performance or significant values ​​in relation to placebo.

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Published
2023-05-04
How to Cite
Rodrigues, A. C., Machado, W. M. L., Oliveira, C. E. P., & Moreira, O. C. (2023). Acute and chronic effects of NaHCO3 supplementation during exercise: a critical review. RBNE - Brazilian Journal of Sports Nutrition, 17(103), 235-242. Retrieved from https://www.rbne.com.br/index.php/rbne/article/view/2116
Issue
Vol. 17 No. 103 (2023)
Section
Scientific Articles - Review

Copyright (c) 2023 Alaor Cristian Rodrigues, Wanderson Matheus Lopes Machado, Claudia Eliza Patrocínio Oliveira, Osvaldo Costa Moreira

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