Endocrine Abstracts

Objectives: To study the mechanism by which sodium bicarbonate act to enhance exercise.

Methods: Fifteen healthy volunteers, different age groups varies between 20 to 32 years, body weight between 65 to 70 kg, male subjects, were put for exercise test under three conditions: following ingestion of 300 mg sodium bicarbonate per kg of body mass (i); following ingestion of a placebo (100 mg sodium chloride isotonic solution per kg of body mass) (ii); and following ingestion of neither (iii). A double-blind protocol was used between the (i) and (ii) trials. All volunteers had a starchy meal before going to bed the night before exercise. Each condition was repeated so that the volunteers underwent treadmill exercise for six times. 100 min before commencing treadmill exercise was allowed after ingesting substances in (i), (ii) and (iii). The volunteers exercised until fatigue. Fourteen of the volunteers completed all the tests.

Results: The volunteer’s average times for trials (i), (ii) and (iii) were 4.01, 4.34 and 4.36.0 s, respectively. The data were analysed using a two-way ANOVA with replicates and Tukey tests. This revealed a difference between trial (i) and trials (ii) and (iii) (P<0.05), but no difference between trials (ii) and (iii).

Conclusion: The findings therefore, indicated that sodium bicarbonate has an ergogenic effect upon exercise by increasing glycolysis and this is due to its reaction with polysaccharides and starch. Sodium Bicarbonate disintegrate and disrupt polysaccharides starch compounds and free sugar molecules in blood and tissues.