ORIGINAL ARTICLES  EXCERCISE PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOMECHANICS 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2013 October;53(5):470-6

Copyright © 2013 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Effects of bicarbonate on oxyhaemoglobin desaturation and exercise performance in athletes

Do Valle Bargieri J. ¹, Berton D. C. ², Aparecido De Almeida A. ¹, Asprón Garcia F. ¹, Carlos Da Silva A. ¹, Alberto Neder J. ³, Andrade M. S. ¹ ✉

¹ Department of Exercise Physiology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brasil; ² Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil; ³ Division of Respiratory and Critical Care, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brasil

Aim: Decrease in peripheral oxygen delivery may impact exercise performance in athletes with exercise-related arterial oxygen desaturation (ERD). We evaluated whether sodium bicarbonate ingestion would be effective to reduce ERD and what is the consequences upon exercise performance.
Methods: Seventy highly trained athletes performed an incremental treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise test (incCPX) and a high intensity constant speed test (ctCPX) on separate days. Subjects who developed ERD by pulse oximetry were randomly allocated to oral sodium bicarbonate or placebo during 5 days. At the end of treatment subjects repeated both tests.
Results: ERD prevalence was 33% during the incCPX (17 % severe, 48% moderate and 35% mild) and 34% (5 % severe, 37% moderate and 58% mild) in the ctCPX. Athletes who developed ERD have greater aerobic capacity (incCPX) and endurance time (ctCPX). Active treatment, but not placebo, reduced ERD during ctCPX (P<0.05). However, there were no significant positive effects on main parameters of aerobic function and endurance exercise capacity (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Sodium bicarbonate was effective in lessening ERD during ctCPX in athletes. However, this intervention failed to improve maximal and submaximal exercise capacity in these subjects.