I got interested in sodium bicarbonate recently. Apparently baking soda has some health benefits, including faster muscle recovery. Supposedly: -By orally ingesting sodium bicarbonate prior to working out, it is thought that you can help counteract the effects of lactic acid buildup in the muscles. This helps to delay muscle fatigue and allow for increased physical performance. -Sodium bicarbonate clears acid out of muscle cells, helping restore an optimal pH. This may decrease fatigue and increase performance. -Baking soda is known to increase the pH of acidic tumors without affecting the ph balance of healthy tissues and the blood. When you have a pH imbalance, unhealthy organisms are able to flourish, which damages tissues and organs, and compromises the immune system. Baking soda consumption can be used as a means of nutritional and immune support for people with cancer. -Improve Kidney Function – As an alkaline substance, baking soda buffers acids in the body and helps to keep pH levels balanced. Low-functioning kidneys have a hard time removing acid from the body, so consuming baking soda will help with just that. -Antiseptic Discussion on taking it before workout: https://examine.com/articles/performance-enhancing-body-composition/ https://suppversity.blogspot.com/2012/09/22g-baking-soda-60min-before-old-school.html
Let's think about this logically... What does stomach acid do? It breaks down all the shit you consume, so your system can process it. What does sodium bicarbonate do when it enters your stomach? It stops that process because it is a base, while acid is, well, acid. Hydrochloric. So what happens to the food that is sitting in your gut and not being digested by the stomach acids? It starts to rot. Now you're got all manner of florals spewing forth in your gut because you neutralized the digestive process. Stop messing with your body! Stop the madness of trying to be chemist with your own body! It knows more about organic chemistry than you do! That is why you are still alive!
The ester is sodium. You’re ingesting huge amounts of sodium. It’s poisonous in the amounts suggested. You fucking idiot… intracellular pH in vivo is not affected by oral sodium bicarb-ingestion. Eat a box of Arm & Hammer and get back to us. Thanks.
I see somebody doesn't like to click on links. "....unwillingness to accept that something as cheap and simple as baking soda could outperform 90% of the overpriced supplemental non-starters on the market and will not make you draw water or increase your blood pressure, although it has the bad word "sodium" in its name, I cannot tell, what I can tell you though, is that Benjamin M. Carr and his colleagues from the School of Human Performance and Recreation at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg are spot on, when they say (or write) that their"findings demonstrate ergogenic efficacy for NaHCO(3) during [hypertrophy-type resistance training]" (Kerr. 2012)." That is right, I did survive the H2O2 experience. Some people do cocaine and heavy drinking, I do baking soda and hydrogen peroxide...
A brief (a few thousand years long) history of baking soda "Sodium bicarbonate has a rich history, extending thousands of years into our past. Ancient Egyptians used natural deposits of Natron (a mixture containing sodium hydrogen carbonate) as paint for their hieroglyphics, to clean teeth, and to treat wounds. In the late eighteenth century, sodium carbonate was produced by a pair of New York bakers as a leavening agent for home baking. They established a factory to make sodium bicarbonate from sodium carbonate and carbon dioxide. As it became readily available, sodium bicarbonate was found to be useful in a myriad of applications. Presently, it can even be found in the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines. A 2002 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) publication found that the majority of sodium bicarbonate global applications were in food (human and animal.) " From mayoclinic.org: "Sodium bicarbonate , also known as baking soda, is used to relieve heartburn, sour stomach, or acid indigestion by neutralizing excess stomach acid. When used for this purpose, it is said to belong to the group of medicines called antacids. It may be used to treat the symptoms of stomach or duodenal ulcers. Sodium bicarbonate is also used to make the blood and urine more alkaline in certain conditions."
Personal experience: After yesterday's tennis this morning my leg muscles were sore. At 7 am I took about 1g baking soda in capsules, on empty stomach. Now 3 hours later I can definitely say my legs are way less sore. Keep in my 1g is pretty small amount, when people take it for heart burn a table spoon is easily 2-3g. Next time I will take it before exercise and see if it helps with preventing muscle fatigue.
I know from my dad's golf playing that tonic water usually made with soda water was popular for reducing muscle soreness. A small mixer bottle was quite standard in a golf bag for senior players. I'd be wary of taking large hits of sodium bicarbonate however at least regularly. The heart cell membranes.. Blanked of the correct term but basically the cell membrane / electrical gate that triggers a contraction in muscle cells is more sensitive in older people. Arrhythmia can easily follow.
From Healthline: "Taking sodium bicarbonate may help enhance your sports performance, especially in high intensity sports and activities. It works by decreasing the acidity in working muscles to help you exercise longer. Most research suggests that the most effective dose is 0.3 grams per kg taken 60–180 minutes before exercise." Now the dose is ridiculously high. I should be taking 25g and as I said, I took only 1g. The point is though that one can take a fairly high amount without any problem. -------------------------------- https://www.theglobeandmail.com/lif...ave known,in with strenuous physical exertion. "And if it doesn't work, there is no lasting harm from consuming baking soda, unlike with the controversial use of performance-enhancing drugs."
Just a note, don't drink coffee shortly after you took baking soda on an empty stomach, unless you don't plan to leave the house for the next 2-3 hours. Trust me... I took 2+ gram this morning, will report back if it helped with soreness.