Table 2 Summary of studies exploring the effects of sodium bicarbonate in combination with beta-alanine, caffeine, creatine, and nitrates on exercise performance
Study | Participants | Exercise performance test | Sodium bicarbonate supplementation protocol | Additional supplement | Main findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barber et al. 2013 [126] | 13 aerobically-trained males | 10 × 10-s cycle sprints (60-s rest) | 0.5 g/kg ingested for 2 days before exercise | Creatine: 20 g ingested for 2 days before exercise | Relative peak power: ↑ following isolated creatine ingestion and combined sodium bicarbonate and creatine ingestion Absolute peak power: ↑ following combined sodium bicarbonate and creatine ingestion Relative mean power: ↑ following combined sodium bicarbonate and creatine ingestion Absolute mean power: ↔ |
Bellinger et al. 2012 [127] | 14 highly trained male cyclists | 4-min cycling | 0.3 g/kg ingested from 150 to 90 min before exercise | Beta-alanine: 6.5 g/kg ingested for 28 days before exercise | Mean power: ↑ following isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion and combined sodium bicarbonate and beta-alanine ingestion Total work: ↑ following isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion and combined sodium bicarbonate and beta-alanine ingestion |
Callahan et al. 2017 [128] | 8 male cyclists | 4 × 4-km cycling time trial | 0.3 g/kg ingested from 150 to 75 min before exercise | Beetroot crystals: 15 g/day for 3 days and 15 g 60 min before exercise | Mean power: ↔ Cycling time: ↔ |
Carr et al. 2011 [129] | 2 female and 6 male well-trained rowers | 2000-m rowing | 0.3 g/kg ingested 90 min before exercise | Caffeine: 6 mg/kg ingested 30 min before exercise | Mean power: ↑ only following caffeine ingestion Rowing time: ↔ |
Christensen et al. 2014 [130] | 1 female and 11 male international level rowers | 6-min rowing | 0.3 g/kg ingested 75 min before exercise | Caffeine: 3 mg/kg ingested 45 min before exercise | Distance covered: ↑ following isolated caffeine ingestion and combined sodium bicarbonate and caffeine ingestion Mean power: ↑ following isolated caffeine ingestion and combined sodium bicarbonate and caffeine ingestion |
da Silva et al. 2018 [131] | 71 male cyclists | 4 × 60-s cycling at 110% of maximal power output (60-s rest) and 30-kJ time-trial test | 0.3 g/kg ingested 60 min before exercise | Beta-alanine: 6.4 g/kg ingested for 28 days before exercise | Time to complete 30-kJ time-trial test: ↔ |
Danaher et al. 2014 [132] | 8 recreationally trained males | 5 × 6-s cycling (24-s rest) and cycling at 110% of the workload achieved at VO2peak | 0.3 g/kg ingested 60 min before exercise | Beta-alanine: 4.8 g/kg ingested for 28 days followed by 6.4 g/kg ingested for 14 days before exercise | Peak power: ↔ Total work: ↔ Time to fatigue: ↑ following isolated beta-alanine ingestion and combined sodium bicarbonate and beta-alanine ingestion |
de Salles Painelli et al. 2013 [133] | 7 female and 7 male swimmers | 100-m and 200-m swimming | 0.3 g/kg ingested 60 min before exercise | Beta-alanine: 3.2 g/kg ingested for 7 days followed by 6.4 g/kg ingested for 21 days before exercise | 100-m swimming time: ↓ following isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion 200-m swimming time: ↓ following isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion, isolated beta-alanine ingestion, and combined sodium bicarbonate and beta-alanine ingestion |
Ducker et al. 2013 [134] | 24 male competitive team-sport athletes | 3 bout of 6 × 20-m sprints (25-s between sprints and 4-min between bouts) | 0.3 g/kg ingested 60 min before exercise | Beta-alanine: 6 g/kg ingested for 28 days before exercise | Total sprint time: ↓ following isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion First sprint time: ↓ following isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion in bouts 2 and 3 Best sprint time: ↓ following isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion in bouts 2 and 3 |
Felippe et al. 2013 [135] | 10 male judo athletes | 3 × SJFT (5-min rest) | 0.3 g/kg ingested from 120 to 60 min before exercise | Caffeine: 6 mg/kg ingested 60 min before exercise | Number of throws bout 1: ↑ following combined sodium bicarbonate and caffeine ingestion Number of throws bout 2: ↔ Number of throws bout 3: ↑ following isolated sodium bicarbonate and combined sodium bicarbonate and caffeine ingestion Number of throws in all bouts: ↑ following combined sodium bicarbonate and caffeine ingestion |
Griffen et al. 2015 [136] | 9 well-trained males | 6 × 10-s cycling sprints (1-min rest) | 0.3 g/kg ingested in four split doses | Creatine: 20 g ingested for 7 days before exercise | Peak power: ↑ only following isolated creatine ingestion Mean power: ↑ only following combined sodium bicarbonate and creatine ingestion Relative peak power: ↑ following isolated creatine ingestion and combined sodium bicarbonate and creatine ingestion Relative mean power: ↑ only following isolated creatine ingestion Total work: ↑ only following isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion |
Higgins et al. 2016 [137] | 13 non-cycling trained males | Cycling to volitional exhaustion at 100% peak mean minute power | 0.3 g/kg ingested 60 min before exercise | Caffeine: 5 mg/kg ingested 60 min before exercise | Time to fatigue: ↑ following isolated caffeine ingestion and combined sodium bicarbonate and caffeine ingestion |
Hobson et al. 2013 [138] | 20 well-trained rowers | 2000-m rowing | 0.3 g/kg ingested from 240 to 120 min before exercise | Beta-alanine: 6.4 g/kg ingested for 28 days before exercise | Rowing time: ↓ following isolated beta-alanine ingestion, isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion, and combined sodium bicarbonate and beta-alanine ingestion |
Kilding et al. 2012 [139] | 10 well-trained male cyclists | 3-km cycling time-trial | 0.3 g/kg ingested from 120 to 90 min before exercise | Caffeine: 3 mg/kg ingested 60 min before exercise | Mean power: ↑ following isolated caffeine ingestion and isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion |
Mero et al. 2004 [140] | 8 female and 8 male national level swimmers | 2 × 100-m swimming (10-min rest) | 0.3 g/kg ingested 120 min before exercise | Creatine: 20 g ingested for 6 days before exercise | Swimming time first 100-m: ↔ Swimming time second 100-m: ↓ following combined sodium bicarbonate and creatine ingestion |
Mero et al. 2013 [141] | 13 competitive male swimmers | 2 × 100-m swimming (12-min rest) | 0.3 g/kg ingested 60 min before exercise | Beta-alanine: 4.8 g/kg ingested for 28 days before exercise | Swimming time first 100-m: ↔ Swimming time second 100-m: ↓ only following isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion |
Pruscino et al. 2008 [142] | 6 elite male freestyle swimmers | 2 × 200-m swimming (30-min rest) | 0.3 g/kg ingested from 120 to 30 min before exercise | Caffeine: 6.2 mg/kg ingested 45 min before exercise | Swimming time first 200-m: ↔ Swimming time second 200-m: ↔ |
Razaei et al. 2019 [143] | 8 Karatekas | Karate-specific aerobic test | 0.3 g/kg ingested for 3 days and from 120 to 60 min before exercise | Caffeine: 6 mg/kg ingested 50 min before exercise | Time to fatigue: ↑ following isolated caffeine ingestion, isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion, and combined sodium bicarbonate and caffeine ingestion |
Sale et al. 2011 [144] | 20 physically active males | Cycling at 110% of maximum power | 0.3 g/kg ingested from 240 to 120 min before exercise | Beta-alanine: 6.4 g/kg ingested for 28 days before exercise | Total work: ↑ following isolated beta-alanine ingestion, isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion, and combined sodium bicarbonate and beta-alanine ingestion Time to fatigue: ↑ following isolated beta-alanine ingestion, isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion, and combined sodium bicarbonate and beta-alanine ingestion |
Sarshin et al. 2021 [145] | 40 taekwondo athletes | Taekwondo Anaerobic Intermittent Kick Test | 0.5 g/kg ingested for 5 days before exercise | Creatine: 20 g ingested for 6 days before exercise | Peak power: ↑ in bouts 2 and 3 following combined sodium bicarbonate and creatine ingestion Mean power: ↑ bout 1 and 2 following isolated creatine ingestion, isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion, and combined sodium bicarbonate and creatine ingestion Mean power bout 3: ↑ following isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion, and combined sodium bicarbonate and creatine ingestion Successful kicks: ↔ |
Saunders et al. 2014 [146] | 20 recreationally active males | 3 bouts of 5 × 6-s repeated sprints (24-s rest) performed during a football specific intermittent treadmill protocol performed in hypoxia | 0.3 g/kg ingested from 240 to 120 min before exercise | Beta-alanine: 6.4 g/kg ingested for 28 days before exercise and 3.2 g/kg ingested for 7 days before exercise | Mean power: ↔ Peak power: ↔ |
Tobias et al. 2013 [147] | 37 judo and jiu-jitsu competitors | 4 × 30-s modified upper body Wingate test (3-min rest) | 0.5 g/kg ingested for 7 days before exercise | Beta-alanine: 6.4 g/kg ingested for 28 days before exercise | Total work: ↑ following isolated beta-alanine ingestion, isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion, and combined sodium bicarbonate and beta-alanine ingestion; combining sodium bicarbonate and beta-alanine produced additive effects Mean power bout 1: ↑ only following combined sodium bicarbonate and beta-alanine ingestion Mean power bout 2 and 3: ↑ following isolated beta-alanine ingestion and combined sodium bicarbonate and beta-alanine ingestion Mean power bout 4: ↑ following isolated sodium bicarbonate ingestion, and combined sodium bicarbonate and beta-alanine ingestion |