Dr. Andy Sparks reached out to me after hearing us discuss a 2024 study he was involved in, saying he would love to provide more insight and information on bicarb. Dr. Sparks did a fantastic job of relaying complex info in a really clear manner, and I’m very appreciative of him coming on the podcast.
There are so many yet-to-be-answered questions around bicarb, and I think it will be a significant area of focus for nutrition companies over the next five years. Super exciting
// TOPICS COVERED
(0:00) Welcome, and Dr. Sparks’ background
(01:47) Dr. Sparks explaines the latest bicarb research
(10:24) How you are misunderstanding / misusing sodium bicarbonate
(15:15) Explained: How sodium bicarbonate makes you faster
(20:45) Ideal timing for sodium bicarbonate intake
(21:38) Best type of training and racing for sodium bicarbonate intake
(31:29) Are pros taking bicarb *during training and racing?!
(33:51) How to practically ingest bicarb during a race
(39:27) Co-ingestion (caffeine, creatine, etc.)
(42:37) Can sodium bicarbonate make you a slower cyclist?
(49:21) Does sodium bicarbonate raise or lower lactate levels?
Just listened to this and found it very interesting.
One aspect of this that I have never heard clearly addressed is regarding the neutralization of the bicarbonate in the stomach, and how this relates the the amount of bicarbonate that can reach the bloodstream. This was mentioned in this discussion, but mainly from the perspective of avoiding GI distress.
Stomach acid appears to be HCl, so this is what I think happens in the stomach to produce the C02:
HCl ( aq ) + Na 2 CO 3 ( aq ) → NaCl ( aq ) + CO 2 ( g ) + H 2 O ( l )
So any bicarbonate that reacts with stomach acid is consumed, and no longer available for buffering.
It seems to me then that the only bicarbonate that is available for buffering in the blood would be bicarbonate that makes it to the small intestine. If there is a wide variation between the amount/concentration of stomach acid among individuals this could add quite some variance.
A related question is this: Does the neutralization of stomach acid itself have any affect on blood PH?
It could be partly placebo but I think the amp pr lotion totally makes a noticeable difference. Jonathon must also because he’s posted stories to his Instagram of him applying it before a race
Here’s some feedback from my N=1 experiment from the past month.
Previously put 3mg/kg of Sodium bicarbonate in a drink bottle with 500ml of water and sipped on it 60-120min pre race. Tastes awful, so I did not persist. Although I did achieve some strong Zwift racing results during a Covid race series.
I have been slowly introducing myself back to it prior to 45-60min crit races and 3.5hr group rides (20min climb, multiple attacks and sprints, with 260-280 TSS), but doing things differently. I am adding the Sodium bicarbonate (2.5mg/kg) to my morning oats (120g, 10g sultanas, 20g choc protein powder, milk of your choice, tablespoon of maple syrup) about 90min pre-race or before the group ride gets to the climb. I eat this every day, with the exception of the maple syrup, so my gut is used to it. Because there’s a high sodium content, the sweetness of the maple syrup makes it more palatable and adds some additional carbs. I do not add any other electrolytes to my drink bottle like I normally would. I also have a double shot of coffee and 5mg of creatine with the meal.
The results have been positive and I have been more competitive and less fatigued during races, efforts, sprints and 20min climbs. FTP up 4.2%. Best ever power numbers from 8-25min and just over 4.15W/kg.
Next N=1 is to incorporate 5mg Sodium bicarbonate per hour into my homemade gels for longer events.
