A household item that is best-known for keeping the refrigerator smelling fresh is being embraced as a supplement that can give cyclists and other athletes a significant edge.

It is not unusual to see runners or riders loading up before an event with sodium bicarbonate, otherwise known as baking soda. The ubiquitous boxes of Arm & Hammer are nowhere to be found, however, while it is more likely that athletes are prepping with bicarb pills or the product produced by sports nutrition company Maurten, which counts among its partners the Professional Triathletes Organisation.

A coach said in a report in The Telegraph that the supplement is “absolute gold dust.”

A recent study supports the claim that the supplement can give cyclists an edge.

The study, published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, examined the effects of sodium bicarbonate mini-tablets, delivered via a carbohydrate hydrogel system developed by Maurten, on time trial performance in trained male cyclists. The novel ingestion method aims to reduce gastrointestinal symptoms while enhancing extracellular blood buffering capacity.

The study involved 14 cyclists who completed a 40-kilometer time trial after ingesting either the sodium bicarbonate or a placebo. Results showed that the hydrogel-based delivery system improved blood alkalosis without causing significant stomach issues. 

The analysis indicates that cyclists improved their time trial performance by an average of 54.14 seconds after ingesting sodium bicarbonate compared to a placebo. 

The improvement was also reflected in overall mean power output and mean speed, suggesting that the sodium bicarbonate enhanced the cyclists’ physical capacity during the trial. There was no significant difference in pacing strategies between the sodium bicarbonate and placebo conditions, which means the performance boost was likely due to the effects of the supplement rather than differences in race tactics.

Athletes, sports nutritionists, and practitioners should consider the potential for this method of supplementation to be ergogenic for prolonged high-intensity exercise, the study concludes.

Products related to this article:

Sodium Bicarbonate 650mg Tablets – Available on Amazon