The effects of sodium hydrogen carbonate ingestion during the recovery period between two 200-m front-crawl time trials

Ušaj, Anton (author), Marčun, Robert (author), Štrumbelj, Boro (author)

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine how sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO$_3$) ingestion during a 1-h recovery period after a 200-m front-crawl swim affects blood–gas levels, acid–base balance, and performance during a successive trial. Methods Fourteen national-level male swimmers (age: 21 ± 3 years, body mass (BM): 77 ± 10 kg, stature: 181 ± 7 cm) performed four maximal 200-m front-crawl tests. On one of the two days, the swimmers swam two 200-m tests with a 1-h recovery break, during which they drank water (WATER); on the other day, they performed the same protocol but consumed 0.3 g min$^{−1}$ NaHCO$_3$ solution during the recovery break (NaHCO$_3$). Results The ingestion of NaHCO$_3$ before the second test had no effect on swim time despite a greater [HCO$^−_3$] (19.2 ± 2.3 mmol L$^{−1}$) than that measured during the first test (NaHCO$_3$) (14.5 ± 1.1 mmol L$^{−1}$) and the other two tests (WATER) (12.7 ± 2.4 and 14.8 ± 1.5 mmol L$^{−1}$; F = 18.554; p = 0.000) and a higher blood pH (7.46 ± 0.03) than that measured during the first test (NaHCO$_3$) (7.39 ± 0.02) and the other two tests (WATER) (7.16 ± 0.04 and 7.20 ± 0.05); (F = 5.255; p = 0.004). An increase in blood pCO$_2$ (0.2 ± 0.3 kPa) between both tests (NaHCO$_3$) compared to unchanged pCO$_2$ values (− 0.1 ± 0.3 kPa) between the other two tests (WATER) (t = − 2.984; p = 0.011; power = 0.741) was confirmed. Conclusions NaHCO$_3$ ingestion during the recovery period between two 200-m front-crawl time trials had a strong buffering effect that did not positively affect performance. An increase in pCO$_2$ may have counterbalanced this impact.

• Language: English
• Keywords: blood alkalosis, acidosis, blood gases, acid–base balance
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FŠ - Faculty of Sport
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 3191–3199
• Numbering: Vol. 124, iss. 11
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-166405
• UDC: 612.74
• ISSN on article: 1439-6327
• DOI: 10.1007/s00421-024-05522-2
• COBISS.SI-ID: 199034371
• Publication date in RUL: 10.01.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: European journal of applied physiology
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• ISSN: 1439-6327
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3078833

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: medicina, alkaloza krvi, acidoza, plini v krvi, kislinsko-bazično ravnovesje, tekmovalni plavalci

Projects

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: Republic of Slovenia, Foundation for Sport