Efeitos da suplementação do bicarbonato de sódio no desempenho de atletas em diferentes modalidades esportivas: um estudo de revisão

Abstract

Introduction: Strategies such as the use of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), with the aim of increasing the intra and extracellular buffering capacity, have been investigated. The hypothesis is that NaHCO3 supplementation is capable of attenuating pH imbalance in sports, reducing fatigue and improving performance in different modalities. However, evidence on the effects of this supplementation on anaerobic and aerobic capacity is mixed. Objective: To verify in the scientific evidence if NaHCO3 supplementation is an efficient strategy to improve the performance of practitioners of physical activities. Materials and Methods: This is a literature review carried out in the SciElo, LILACS and Google Scholar databases, including texts in Portuguese, English and Spanish, complete and free and with themes compatible with what was researched. The keywords used were: sodium bicarbonate and physical activity. Results: The study population totaled 37 male athletes and the participants' ages ranged from 20 (± 2.1 years) to 30.8 (± 3.5 years). Cross-sectional and experimental studies were analyzed. Of the five studies evaluated, three showed the effect of using NaHCO3 at a dosage of 0.3 g/kg, with bodybuilders, pentathletes and university athletes. A study with judokas and Crossfit practitioners showed no improvement in performance. Conclusion: The consulted studies show heterogeneity in the results regarding the improvement in performance in different sports modalities after supplementation. However, effects of NaHCO3 (0.3 g/kg) were observed in weight training, pentathlon and university athletes.