Buffering Supplements for High-Intensity Performance

Although when we think of endurance sports we often think of prolonged effort at submaximal intensity, the reality of competition in most sports is that high performance at high intensity is also required. Not only in sports where the duration is short and constant high intensity is required (e.g. swimming, middle distance in athletics, etc.), but also in sports of longer duration. Just think of a mountain bike or cyclocross race, in which cyclists often encounter very demanding climbs that make them give their best. Or even in road cycling, where cyclists have to be able to withstand the attacks of opponents. But what can limit athletes from performing during these efforts?

Acidosis and sports performance

During high-intensity exercise, the muscle gets its energy in processes that occur outside the mitochondria and are independent of oxygen. These processes generate energy (ATP), but also a series of metabolites such as hydrogen ions (H⁺) that cause the pH to decrease slightly (i.e., acidosis). The role of acidosis in sports performance has been widely discussed, and although in studies carried out in isolated cells or muscles it is not clear whether acidosis decreases muscle function, when studying the body "as a whole" the decrease in pH is associated with worse muscle function and ultimately worse sports performance, possibly due to a negative interaction in the muscle-brain connection (neuromuscular function). ¹

To control the drop in pH during intense exercise, the body has physiological mechanisms called "buffers" that neutralize hydrogen ions and prevent acidosis, with bicarbonate buffer being one of the best known mechanisms. In addition, on the market we can find various nutritional supplements that promise to maximize this buffer effect and combat muscle acidosis. But what does science say about it?

Acidosis and sports performance

During high-intensity exercise, the muscle gets its energy in processes that occur outside the mitochondria and are independent of oxygen. These processes generate energy (ATP), but also a series of metabolites such as hydrogen ions (H⁺) that cause the pH to decrease slightly (i.e., acidosis). The role of acidosis in sports performance has been widely discussed, and although in studies carried out in isolated cells or muscles it is not clear whether acidosis decreases muscle function, when studying the body "as a whole" the decrease in pH is associated with worse muscle function and ultimately worse sports performance, possibly due to a negative interaction in the muscle-brain connection (neuromuscular function). ¹

To control the drop in pH during intense exercise, the body has physiological mechanisms called "buffers" that neutralize hydrogen ions and prevent acidosis, with bicarbonate buffer being one of the best known mechanisms. In addition, on the market we can find various nutritional supplements that promise to maximize this buffer effect and combat muscle acidosis. But what does science say about it?

Baking soda

A recent review published in the prestigious journal Sports Medicine has analysed all the existing evidence on the main buffer supplements, analysing 189 articles.² In this review, it was observed that the supplement with the most scientific evidence was sodium bicarbonate, although other less popular supplements such as sodium citrate or sodium or calcium lactate were also included. And most importantly, the results showed that these supplements have beneficial effects on performance, finding the greatest benefits in efforts of relatively short duration but greater than 30 seconds. This may be due to the fact that, in efforts of shorter duration (<30 seconds), the phosphagen and phosphocreatine pathway plays a main role, with the accumulation of hydrogen ions associated with glycolytic metabolism not being as limiting. In fact, in events in which numerous intermittent efforts are made (e.g. repeated sprints) performance in the first or best sprint does not usually improve with supplementation with buffers, but it does improve overall performance because fatigue is attenuated as the sprints take place. Thus, the authors conclude that supplementation with 0.3 mg/kg of sodium bicarbonate 60-180 minutes before exercise (as it is the strategy with the most evidence) seems to be effective in improving performance.

Beta alanine

Another of the most popular supplements for its buffering action against acidity is beta alanine. Beta-alanine is an amino acid that is used to make carnosine, a dipeptide that is stored mainly in the muscle and that, among other functions, acts as an intracellular buffer – being even more effective for pH regulation than bicarbonate buffer. Unlike baking soda, which is supplemented acutely (i.e., before exercise), most studies have given beta-alanine on a sustained basis for several weeks. In fact, the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends consuming around 4-6 grams per day (divided into 2-gram doses) for a period of 4 weeks.³ As with bicarbonate, the benefits of beta-alanine are especially promising for efforts where acidosis can limit performance; that is, efforts of >30 seconds but not long enough for aerobic metabolism to be predominant (approximately <10 minutes). In fact, beta-alanine has been shown to improve overall performance by 3% in these types of efforts.^4,5

Conclusions

Acidosis appears to play a performance-limiting role in high-intensity, short-duration efforts (e.g., in short events in swimming or athletics), or in repeated efforts (e.g., in events such as XCO that require intermittent high intensity). To combat this fatigue mechanism, our body has different physiological "buffers" that try to keep the pH stable, but we can also maximize the effects of these buffers thanks to nutritional supplements such as baking soda (acute intake before exercise) or beta alanine (intake protocol of several weeks). As with any supplement, we should try it in training progressively to check the tolerance of each athlete, but in general these supplements have been shown to be effective in improving performance.

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 References

1. Cairns SP. Lactic acid and exercise performance : culprit or friend? Sport Med. 2006;36(4):279-291. doi:10.2165/00007256-200636040-00001
2. de Oliveira LF, Dolan E, Swinton PA, et al. Extracellular Buffering Supplements to Improve Exercise Capacity and Performance: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sport Med. 2022;52(3):505-526. doi:10.1007/s40279-021-01575-x
3. Trexler ET, Smith-Ryan AE, Stout JR, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015;12(1):1-14. doi:10.1186/s12970-015-0090-y
4. Hobson RM, Saunders B, Ball G, Harris RC, Sale C. Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: A meta-analysis. Amino Acids. 2012;43(1):25-37. doi:10.1007/s00726-011-1200-z
5. Saunders B, Elliott-Sale K, Artioli GG, et al. β-Alanine supplementation to improve exercise capacity and performance: A systematic review and meta-Analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2017;51(8):658-669. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2016-096396