In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers from the Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Japan, investigated whether drinking a sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) beverage could mitigate the effects of exercising in the heat.
Researchers recruited 11 healthy men for the study. Each participant completed two experimental sessions consisting of one trial and one control. Each session was separated by at least three days and conducted in an environmental chamber set to 95 degrees F.
The sodium bicarbonate solution was 300 mg per kilogram body weight mixed with 4.5 mL of mineral water per kilogram body weight. The control solution was a comparable amount of saline (saltwater).
Both beverages included grape syrup and aspartame to blind participants to their contents. Participants consumed the beverages 90 minutes before beginning to exercise.
The sodium bicarbonate trials showed several improved metrics. Participants showed reduced measures of hyperventilation, improved ratios of carbon dioxide in the blood, and greater blood flow in the brain. Perhaps most telling, the participants reported lower perceived exertion.
These findings suggest that sodium bicarbonate (Baking soda) solution can be used while exercising in heat to reduce hyperventilation.
Source: Medindia
