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Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, an alkaline salt. In addition to making cakes rise, sodium bicarbonate is found in over-the-counter antacids, tooth paste, fire extinguisher, and many other products. Also, since the 1930's, it has been taken by some athletes to increase the speed and recovery in relatively short events, those lasting from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Here's why.
During short bouts of strenuous activity, our muscles work anaerobically (without oxygen inhaled) and produce large amounts of lactic acid. So much so, that the substances in the body that usually neutralize the it are overwhelmed. Consequently, the lactic acid accumulates in the muscle fibers. This alters the muscle chemistry and leads to fatigue.
One of the substances used to naturalize lactic acid is sodium bicarbonate, a small amount of which is obtained from food and is naturally found in the blood. The idea behind so called "soda loading" is to increase the body's sodium bicarbonate levels, which will help counteract the lactic acid build up during competition and improve performance. The usual procedure is to take 3 to 5 level teaspoons of baking soda, mixed with water, 30 to 60 minutes before the event.
Some studies suggest that this may work. In one study, that is most often cited, six runners ran a 800 meter race under normal conditions and again after drinking a sodium bicarbonate solution. In the race following the "soda loading," the runners averaged 2.9 seconds faster times. This is quite an improvement-- if only the slowest runner had taken the buffer boost, he would easily have won the race!
But other studies show no increase in performance. And there can be embarrassing or nasty side effects from taking large amounts of baking soda, like belching, abdominal discomfort, and sudden diarrhea. Also, we are talking here about sprint type activities. Lactic acid does not accumulate during endurance events. So "soda loading" won't help. During marathons, and the like, the main limiting factor is lack of fuel (glycogen) not lactic acid.
