How This Supplement Is Changing the Sport of Running

Summary

This video explores the use of sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, as a legal performance enhancer in sports, particularly running. It discusses evidence suggesting it can improve times in middle-distance events by neutralizing lactic acid and buffering acidity. The script also highlights potential side effects like gastrointestinal discomfort and how some companies, like Morton, are addressing these issues with their 'B carb' system. The video concludes with the host's personal trial of the supplement, noting its potential impact on the sport's fairness and cost implications for athletes.

Takeaways

• 🧂 Sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda, is suggested as a legal performance enhancer in sports.
• 🏃‍♂️ The 800-meter running distance has seen significant improvements, with some attributing this to the use of sodium bicarbonate.
• 🤔 An Olympic runner estimated that at least 80% of elite runners might be using sodium bicarbonate, sparking curiosity about its effects.
• 📚 The first study on sodium bicarbonate's performance-enhancing effects dates back to 1930, with more recent studies supporting its benefits.
• ⏱️ Studies have shown that sodium bicarbonate can reduce running times in middle-distance events by up to 3 seconds.
• 💪 The supplement works by neutralizing lactic acid, potentially allowing muscles to function better for longer periods at higher intensities.
• 🏞️ Ultra-runner Kilian Jornet has also used sodium bicarbonate, suggesting its use extends beyond middle-distance running.
• 🤢 Common side effects of sodium bicarbonate include gastrointestinal discomfort, which can be a significant drawback.
• 💊 A company called Morton has developed a 'B carb system' that may reduce side effects while maintaining performance benefits.
• 👨‍🔬 The video creator tested the Morton B carb system and reported no stomach issues, but remains skeptical about its necessity for regular training.

Q & A

What is the common name for sodium bicarbonate and what is it commonly used for?

Sodium bicarbonate is commonly known as baking soda and it is typically used in cooking and baking.

How is sodium bicarbonate considered as a performance enhancer in sports?

Sodium bicarbonate is believed to enhance performance by acting as a buffer that neutralizes lactic acid, which can help muscles function better for longer periods at higher intensities.

What is the estimated percentage of elite runners using sodium bicarbonate according to an Olympic runner's quote in the video?

At least 80% of all elite runners have started using sodium bicarbonate, as estimated by an Olympic runner quoted in the video.

What is the significance of the improvement in running times when using sodium bicarbonate?

Improvements in running times by 1.4 to 3 seconds can be significant, especially in middle-distance races where such differences can determine winning or losing.

What is the role of buffering in the context of sodium bicarbonate's effect on athletic performance?

Buffering refers to the process by which sodium bicarbonate helps to neutralize lactic acid in the body, which can slow down the pace or stop running. By reducing acidity, it allows muscles to function better and for longer periods.

What are the potential side effects of using sodium bicarbonate as a performance enhancer?

The most commonly reported side effects include gastrointestinal discomfort, which can manifest as bloating, cramping, diarrhea, and nausea.

How does the 'B carb system' by Morton aim to reduce the side effects of sodium bicarbonate?

The 'B carb system' by Morton uses a hydrael mix that shields the bicarbonate from stomach acid, making it easier for the stomach to handle and potentially reducing gastrointestinal side effects.

What is the cost implication of regularly using sodium bicarbonate for performance enhancement as mentioned in the video?

The cost of using sodium bicarbonate regularly can be high, with a single serving costing around $1.15, which might give runners with more financial resources a competitive advantage.

What is the author's personal stance on using sodium bicarbonate for performance enhancement?

The author is skeptical about using sodium bicarbonate regularly for training but finds it interesting to try for racing scenarios, as it might optimize performance.

What is the author's concern regarding the widespread use of sodium bicarbonate in running?

The author is concerned that the widespread use of sodium bicarbonate might change running into a sport where taking it regularly is necessary for a competitive advantage, which could be seen as unfair.

Outlines

00:00

🏃‍♂️ Sodium Bicarbonate: The Legal Performance Booster in Running

The script discusses sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda, as a legal performance enhancer in sports, particularly in running. It explores the evidence behind its use, suggesting that it may improve performance by neutralizing lactic acid, thus helping muscles function better for longer periods at higher intensities. The video mentions a significant increase in 800-meter running times this season, with some attributing this to the widespread use of sodium bicarbonate. An Olympic runner is quoted as estimating that at least 80% of elite runners now use it. The script also references a 2021 review summarizing studies on its performance-enhancing effects, with one study showing an average time reduction of 2.9 seconds in an 800-meter run after consumption. The potential for sodium bicarbonate to enhance performance in longer races is also mentioned, with anecdotal evidence from ultra and trail running.

05:04

🔬 The Science and Side Effects of Sodium Bicarbonate

This paragraph delves into the scientific mechanism by which sodium bicarbonate is believed to enhance performance, focusing on its ability to buffer lactic acid and reduce muscle fatigue. The discussion then shifts to the side effects of sodium bicarbonate, which can include gastrointestinal discomfort, bloating, cramping, diarrhea, and nausea. These side effects are often due to the high dosage required for effective buffering. The script introduces a company, Morton, which has developed a 'B carb system' aimed at mitigating these side effects while maintaining the performance benefits. The system involves a special mixture designed to shield the bicarbonate from stomach acid, potentially allowing for easier stomach handling and reduced discomfort. The video creator shares their personal experience with the product, noting the absence of gastrointestinal issues after use and a perceived improvement in their running performance.

10:08

🤔 The Impact of Sodium Bicarbonate on the Sport of Running

The final paragraph reflects on the broader implications of sodium bicarbonate use in running. While acknowledging its potential performance benefits, the video creator expresses skepticism about its routine use, particularly due to the cost and the ethical considerations it raises about fairness in sports. The creator suggests that while sodium bicarbonate might offer a competitive edge, it could also lead to an uneven playing field, favoring those who can afford the supplement. They propose that the sport's simplicity and fairness could be compromised if its use becomes commonplace. The video ends with a call for viewer engagement in the discussion and a teaser for another video on a different performance enhancer.

Keywords

💡Sodium bicarbonate

Sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda, is a substance that has gained attention for its potential as a legal performance enhancer. In the context of the video, it is discussed as a substance that can improve athletic performance, particularly in running. The video mentions that sodium bicarbonate works by neutralizing lactic acid in the bloodstream, which can help muscles function better for longer periods at higher intensities, thus potentially allowing runners to run faster and longer without feeling as tired.

💡Performance enhancer

A performance enhancer refers to any substance or method that improves an individual's physical or mental capabilities, particularly in the context of sports or athletic competitions. In the video, sodium bicarbonate is explored as a legal performance enhancer, with evidence suggesting it can reduce lactic acid buildup and improve running times, making it a topic of interest for athletes and coaches.

💡Lactic acid

Lactic acid is a byproduct of muscle activity during intense exercise. It is often associated with muscle fatigue and soreness. The video explains that sodium bicarbonate acts as a 'buffer' to lactic acid, helping to neutralize it and thus potentially delaying the onset of fatigue. This buffering effect is central to the discussion of how sodium bicarbonate might enhance athletic performance.

💡Buffering

Buffering, in the context of the video, refers to the process by which sodium bicarbonate helps to neutralize lactic acid in the body. This chemical process is crucial for the proposed performance-enhancing effects of sodium bicarbonate. By reducing the acidity in the muscles, it is theorized to allow for better muscle function and endurance, which is why it is considered a performance enhancer.

💡Elite runners

Elite runners are professional athletes who compete at the highest level of their sport. The video cites an estimate that at least 80% of all elite runners have started using sodium bicarbonate, highlighting its perceived effectiveness and widespread adoption among top athletes. The discussion around elite runners underscores the significance of even minor performance improvements in competitive sports.

💡800 meters

The 800 meters is a middle-distance running event that is part of the video's discussion on the impact of sodium bicarbonate on athletic performance. The video notes a significant improvement in times for top athletes in this event, suggesting a correlation with the use of sodium bicarbonate. This event is used as an example to illustrate the potential benefits of the substance in enhancing performance.

💡Gastrointestinal discomfort

Gastrointestinal discomfort refers to a range of stomach-related issues such as bloating, cramping, diarrhea, and nausea. In the video, it is mentioned as a common side effect of using sodium bicarbonate, which is attributed to the high dosage required for effective buffering. This side effect is a significant consideration for athletes, as it could potentially outweigh the performance benefits.

💡Morton's B carb system

Morton's B carb system is a product mentioned in the video that claims to offer the performance-enhancing benefits of sodium bicarbonate without the gastrointestinal side effects. The system involves a unique mixture that is supposed to shield the bicarbonate from stomach acid, making it easier for the stomach to handle. This innovation is presented as a potential solution for athletes looking to gain an edge without suffering from discomfort.

💡Ultra and trail running

Ultra and trail running refer to long-distance running events that take place on trails and natural terrain, often covering much greater distances than traditional track events. The video mentions that even athletes in these disciplines, such as Kilian Jornet, have used sodium bicarbonate, suggesting its potential benefits extend to endurance events. This broadens the discussion of the substance's application beyond short, intense races.

💡Hyal mix

Hyal mix, as discussed in the video, is a component of Morton's B carb system that is used to mix with sodium bicarbonate. It is described as a gel-like structure that helps to shield the bicarbonate from stomach acid, potentially reducing gastrointestinal side effects. The hyal mix is a key part of the system's claim to provide a more tolerable and effective way to utilize sodium bicarbonate for performance enhancement.

Highlights

Sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, is a legal performance enhancer found in many kitchens.

Sodium bicarbonate's use is widespread among top athletes, with estimates suggesting at least 80% of elite runners use it.

The 800-meter distance has seen significant time improvements, with five out of the seven fastest times ever recorded this season.

Sodium bicarbonate works as a performance enhancer by neutralizing lactic acid, potentially allowing for higher-intensity and longer-duration running.

The first study on sodium bicarbonate's performance-enhancing effects dates back to 1930 at Harvard University.

A 2021 review summarized studies showing sodium bicarbonate can reduce running times by an average of 1.5 to 3 seconds.

For elite runners, a 1.4 to 3-second improvement can be the difference between winning and losing.

Ultra and trail runner Kilian Jornet has also used sodium bicarbonate, suggesting its benefits may extend to longer distances.

A recent study showed sodium bicarbonate might boost performance in endurance efforts lasting up to an hour.

Common side effects of sodium bicarbonate include gastrointestinal discomfort, which can negate its performance benefits.

Morton's B Carb system claims to reduce side effects while maintaining performance-enhancing effects.

The B Carb system uses a hydrael mix to shield the sodium bicarbonate from stomach acid, potentially reducing gastrointestinal issues.

The presenter plans to test the B Carb system with high-intensity 1-kilometer intervals to evaluate its effects.

After testing, the presenter reports no stomach issues and a possible increase in running speed.

The presenter expresses concern that regular use of sodium bicarbonate could give an unfair advantage and become expensive.

The presenter suggests that while sodium bicarbonate might be beneficial for racing, it's less useful for regular training.

The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to share their thoughts on the use of sodium bicarbonate as a performance enhancer.

Transcripts

There's a really potent legal performance enhancer  that most of us have in our kitchen this is sodium  

bicarbonate or more commonly known as baking soda  and in this video I will talk about the evidence  

surrounding its supposed performance enhancing  effect and how it actually might change the sport  

of running and I also try it mysel. the 800 met  distance has gained a huge lift in times for the  

top athletes this last season with five out of  the seven fastest Runners ever on the distance  

coming from races this year and man argues that  it has to do with how widespread the use of sodium  

bicarbonate has become one Olympic runner quoted  in the telegraph estimated that at least 80% of  

all Elite Runners has started using the is and  that made me very curious but it's often things  

like this can be really hyped and just forgotten  about but after I look more into the evidence I  

was pretty [Music] shocked before we start to  look into all of these studies that covers if  

it actually works as a performance enhancer let's  talk about how would it make you run faster in  

the first place so sodium by carbonate works as a  performance enhancer in a process called buffering  

things that will force you to run at a slower Pace  or stop running but when you have consumed the  

sodium bicarbonate prior to your workout or  race it enters your bloodstream and basically  

helps neutralize the lactic acid So in theory  by reducing acidity sodium bicarbonate should  

help keep your muscles functioning better for a  longer time at a higher intensity allowing you to  

run faster and longer without feeling as tired so  all of this sounds logical and good inir but what  

does all of this evidence say about [Music]  this when I started researching this I found  

a lot of different studies on the subject and  I was actually surprised to see that the first  

study on this subject actually dates all the way  back to 1930 when they at Harvard University did  

a oneperson study where sodium bicarbonate was  provided before treadmill running the authors  

concluded that performance was improved but this  was just a single person study which shouldn't  

draw too big conclusions from but as mentioned  there have been a lot of studies done since  

then this review here on the subject from 2021  summarized a lot of studies on sodium bicarbonates  

performance enhancing effect and they wrote this  about running running based investigations have  

focused on distances ring from the 400 m to  the 1500 M losting from 57 to 254 seconds for  

example whil at all included six male University  Runners who performed an 800 met run following  

the ingestion of a placebo or 0.3 G per kilogram  of sodium bicarbonate in this study running time  

following Placebo ingestions was on average 2  minutes and 5 Seconds and consumption of sodium  

bicarb carate reduced the time needed to complete  the test on average by 2.9 seconds other studies  

reported on average reduction in the time required  to complete 400 m and the, 1500 met runs of 1.5  

seconds and 3 seconds so it clearly seems like for  most people it makes a significant difference when  

running all out on this kind of shorter middle  distance running events it might not sound like  

much with 1.4 to 3 seconds Improvement but on  these distances the 800 M and 1500 M that's  

huge and for elite Runners it can for sure be  the difference of winning or losing important  

races but what about running events that last way  longer than these kind of middle distance allout  

efforts after reading more about this I found that  this supplement is not only used by the world's  

best middle distance Runners kilan jouret the goat  of ultra and trail running has also used it when  

winning Ultra from arones like the famous UTMB  however the evidence regarding the performance  

enhancing effects of sodium bicarbonate on running  distances longer than 5 kilm is more limited but  

it still suggests potential benefits particularly  when it comes to races that needs you to increase  

your effort to high intensities during the  race and Sprint by the end of it but there  

were actually a recent study that I found really  interesting that showed that it might have a big  

performance boosting effect on endurance efforts  as long as 1 hour even when you perform it on a  

steady state as a time trial but to make sense  out of the way that the participants in this  

study ingested the sodium bicarbonate we first got  to talk about the side [Music] effects many of the  

studies that I refer to are a couple of years old  so why are there so much hype around it now and  

seems to have been more and more athletes to start  using it this last year that's likely because  

there have been some pretty bad side effects that  maybe one company have managed to solve the most  

commonly reported side effect is gastrointestinal  discomfort which can include bloating cramping  

diarrhea and nausea and this is often due to the  high dosage required for an effective buffering  

and it kind of says itself that these kind  of side effects are not ideal to deal with  

before on important race and can for sure have  a way worse impact on your performance than the  

potential performance enhancing effect you can  get from the buffering but as I said one company  

has attempted to get rid of these side effects  while keeping sodium bicarbonate performance  

enhancing effect and that company is uh Mor than  with this by carb system and full disclosure I'm  

not affiliated with them by anyway I bought this  myself because I've seen that this is the system  

that many Elite Runners seem to have started using  and what made me really curious on this whole uh  

system that we'll get into more later is that I  found this study where they let athletes try this  

B carb system before I'm All Out cycling 40 kilm  time trial and then compare the result to when  

they asot Placebo and first of all out of the 14  athletes included in the study 12 of them improved  

their time after taking sodium bicarbonate  compared to when they just got the the placebo  

supplement which suggests that it also make a  significant difference on endurance efforts around  

one hour for most people and what also were really  interesting in that study was that they found  

no difference in total gastrointestinal discomfort  or symptoms when using this this Morton by carb  

system so I thought I need to try this out myself  and I will explain how this works and why it might  

get rid of those kind of side effects while I test  it [Music] out as I said this B carb system by  

Morton seems to be what many pro runners use and  the reason why this might get rid of those kind of  

gastrointestinal side effects is that Morton  has this uh hyal mix that you mix the sodium  

bicarbonate with and this GL structure is supposed  to help Shield the bicarb from the stomach acid  

and basically make it easier for the stomach to  handle it and it's the same kind of hydrael that  

Morphin has used in their carbohydrate sport  string to enable athlets to take in more carbs  

without getting stomach issues and this has for  example been used a lot by OT kog and other Elite  

marathon runners so let's test this and my plan  is to do high intensity 1 kilm intervals Time 5  

to see how it feels after drinking or or eating  this kind of thing it almost feels like a like  

a science project with all this like step by-step  instructions so let's see how how you're supposed  

to intake this so I'm First supposed to add  200 milliliters of water to this one then I  

add this uh Hydra and then you're supposed  to give it a good shake before you wait for  

3 minutes so now this has become this this sort  of thick gel structure and I'm supposed to add  

this uh sodium by carbonate and this seems to be  like these small tablets that you're supposed to  

stir into the Gil mix this looks super weird so  I'm supposed to eat this without shoeing those  

small tablets and you're supposed to take it in 90  minutes before your race or hard workout okay so  

let's let's eat uh this thing ah what we Runners  do to run a little bit faster I'm actually a bit  

skeptical to this whole thing but I will talk more  about that after I have tried it myself so let's  

first taste test doesn't taste bad doesn't taste  that much much at all but it's super weird like  

swallowing this this thick gel and those small  like white tablets in it and not try to shoe it at

all this this feels like a weird thing  to eat yeah shares and it's actually  

quite like a substantial amount you have to  eat well done so let's wait for 90 minutes  

and go for a nice inal session it has gone  90 minutes now so let's crush this workout

[Music]  

yeah that uh felt good uh of course it's  impossible to evaluate from just a a single  

workout how effective this is that the  studies I referred to did a much better  

job at doing but it felt good I ran a bit  faster than I thought I could have done on a  

like this I averaged 3 15 on my 1 kilm repeats  maybe the place will help me a bit after taking  

that sodium by carbonate the feeling that I I  should run a bit faster now and I can report  

no stomach issues whatsoever so why am I still a  bit skeptical to this whole thing so after testing  

this out myself and reading all of that evidence  it for sure seems like it has a clear performance  

boosting effect but even if it is a major  difference for elite Runners most of us just  

enjoying running and training those games does not  make a big difference and of course we could get  

way more performance Boost from just training more  and smarter but if you're into tweaking all little  

things that can make you perform better and things  like this motivates you in a way and helps you in  

your running Journey maybe it's worth giving it a  try but here's what I don't like about it and why  

it might change running in a way although there  are no studies yet on it in theory using this on  

a regular basis in your training should allow you  to train on a bit of a higher level and develop  

faster and I've heard of many Elite Runners  starting to use this on a regular basis in their  

training and some also claim that they recover  faster after a hard workout after using sodium  

bicarbonate and this gets me a bit worried because  I like that running is a simple and fair sport  

and if this becomes the case that to be able  to get a competitive Advantage you need to  

take sodium bicarbonate on a regular basis  I think it's a shame because it also quickly  

becomes expensive since just one serving of these  things costs $115 which might give Runners with  

a lot of money a competitive Advantage I will at  least not use this on a regular basis myself but  

maybe before a race because I think it's fun to  try to optimize everything in a racing scenario  

let me know in the comments what you  think about all of this and if you want  

to watch another video about a really  potent legal performance enhancer you  

can click it here train smart have fun  and I will see you in the next video