ArticleThe Journal of physiology2006
Alkalosis increases muscle K+ release, but lowers plasma [K+] and delays fatigue during dynamic forearm exercise.
Article in The Journal of physiology, 2006. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 94 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evidence-Based Supplementation Strategies for Wrestlers: A Systematic Review.Current nutrition reports · 2025Pooled it
- Extracellular Buffering Supplements to Improve Exercise Capacity and Performance: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2022Pooled it
- Effects of Sodium Bicarbonate Supplementation on Muscular Strength and Endurance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2020Pooled it
- Effects of acute alkalosis and acidosis on performance: a meta-analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2011Pooled it
- The effect of sodium bicarbonate mini-tablets in a carbohydrate hydrogel on prolonged high-intensity cycling performance and metabolism in acute normobaric hypoxia.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Trial
- Acute Co-Ingestion of Caffeine and Sodium Bicarbonate on Muscular Endurance Performance.Nutrients · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Beneficial effects of oral and topical sodium bicarbonate during a battery of team sport-specific exercise tests in recreationally trained male athletes.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2023Trial
- The effects of enteric-coated sodium bicarbonate supplementation on 2 km rowing performance in female CrossFit® athletes.European journal of applied physiology · 2023Trial
- Oral digoxin effects on exercise performance, KThe Journal of physiology · 2022Trial
- A single oral glucose load decreases arterial plasma [KPhysiological reports · 2021Trial
- Trial
- The Effect of a New Sodium Bicarbonate Loading Regimen on Anaerobic Capacity and Wrestling Performance.Nutrients · 2018Trial
- Biochemical responses and physical performance during high-intensity resistance circuit training in hypoxia and normoxia.European journal of applied physiology · 2017Trial
- Salbutamol effects on systemic potassium dynamics during and following intense continuous and intermittent exercise.European journal of applied physiology · 2016Trial
- Impact of acute sodium citrate ingestion on endurance running performance in a warm environment.European journal of applied physiology · 2015Trial
- The effect of pH on fatigue during submaximal isometric contractions of the human calf muscle.European journal of applied physiology · 2015Trial
- Bicarbonate ingestion has no ergogenic effect on consecutive all out sprint tests in BMX elite cyclists.European journal of applied physiology · 2011Trial
- Common questions and misconceptions of sodium bicarbonate as an ergogenic aid: what does the science really show?Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026Review
- Prevalence, implementation, and barriers of sodium bicarbonate supplementation in team sports.Biology of sport · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Alkalosis enhances human exercise performance, and reduces K+ loss in contracting rat muscle. We investigated alkalosis effects on K+ regulation, ionic regulation and fatigue during intense exercise in nine untrained volunteers. Concentric finger flexions were conducted at 75% peak work rate (3 W) until fatigue, under alkalosis (Alk, NaHCO3, 0.3 g kg(-1)) and control (Con, CaCO3) conditions, 1 month apart in a randomised, double-blind, crossover design. Deep antecubital venous (v) and radial arterial (a) blood was drawn at rest, during exercise and recovery, to determine arterio-venous differences for electrolytes, fluid shifts, acid-base and gas exchange. Finger flexion exercise barely perturbed arterial plasma ions and acid-base status, but induced marked arterio-venous changes. Alk elevated [HCO3-] and PCO2, and lowered [H+] (P < 0.05). Time to fatigue increased substantially during Alk (25 +/- 8%, P < 0.05), whilst both [K+]a and [K+]v were reduced (P < 0.01) and [K+]a-v during exercise tended to be greater (P= 0.056, n= 8). Muscle K+ efflux at fatigue was greater in Alk (21.2+/- 7.6 micromol min(-1), 32 +/- 7%, P < 0.05, n= 6), but peak K+ uptake rate was elevated during recovery (15 +/- 7%, P < 0.05) suggesting increased muscle Na+,K+-ATPase activity. Alk induced greater [Na+]a, [Cl-]v, muscle Cl- influx and muscle lactate concentration ([Lac-]) efflux during exercise and recovery (P < 0.05). The lower circulating [K+] and greater muscle K+ uptake, Na+ delivery and Cl- uptake with Alk, are all consistent with preservation of membrane excitability during exercise. This suggests that lesser exercise-induced membrane depolarization may be an important mechanism underlying enhanced exercise performance with Alk. Thus Alk was associated with improved regulation of K+, Na+, Cl- and Lac-.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.