946: Baking Soda Benefits: Energy, Endurance, & pH Balance (Quick Tip- Solo Episode)

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Katie: Hello and welcome to the Wellness Mama Podcast. I’m Katie from wellness mama.com, and this hopefully short solo episode is all about something you likely already have in your house and may have never thought of to use in the particular ways I’m gonna talk about it today. And I’m talking about baking soda. And in this episode I’m going to briefly explore its benefits including energy, endurance, oxygen, pH balance, sleep, and so much more.

Now, I would guess everybody listening has at least heard of baking soda. It’s one of the cheapest, and I would say most overlooked wellness tools out there. And this came up recently in a podcast episode. I’m not sure if it’s gonna have aired yet by the time this one airs. With the founders of Mara Labs talking about salt, and the topic of baking soda also came up. And I’m gonna dive into some of my own research I’ve done around this and why I’ve personally implemented this as a new part of my wellness routine on a daily basis. I’ve recently been taking about a half a teaspoon of baking soda in water in the morning, on an empty stomach, about 30 minutes before breakfast, and then again at some point later in the day, and I’ll explain why.

But it’s quite a powerful tool when it comes to health,  to cellular function. It’s so effective it was actually once banned by WADA as a performance enhancing drug in competitive sports. It’s also been promoted to help sleep, to tackle inflammation, and much more. So let’s dive into why. So what it is, you’ve likely heard of it and you probably are familiar with it, likely have it in your house, but it’s chemical name is sodium bicarbonate. It’s naturally found in the body.

It’s also used industrially and medically, which I’m gonna talk about as well. It functions as a buffer, so it helps maintain pH balance within the body, by neutralizing acids, and it does a lot more as well. Here’s why it matters on the pH side though. Our body’s pH is very tightly regulated, staying in a blood pH range of 7.35 to 7.45 at all times. And the body will do a lot, including pull things, important things from our body to maintain this blood pH balance.

Baking soda helps reduce something called metabolic acidosis, which is too much acid, which can be triggered by intense exercise, poor diet, infections, or chronic stress. And many of us in the modern world are exposed to at least one of those things. It also is helpful in CO2 and cellular respiration, and this is the part I find really fascinating and why I started experimenting with it myself.

So CO2 is more than just a byproduct, it’s a signaling molecule and it helps offload oxygen into tissues in something called the bore effect. And I will talk about that more in a minute. But this is where it gets really interesting because baking soda really helps support within this pathway. It supports CO2 balance, pH, and mitochondrial function, and here’s why.

So like I said, sodium bicarbonate is one of the body’s primary buffering agents, and it plays a critical role in maintaining our acid and base balance, especially in the blood where it’s very important. So it works hand in hand with CO2, carbon dioxide, in a tightly regulated system known as the bicarbonate buffer system. Carbon dioxide and water combine to form something called carbonic acid, which can then split into hydrogen ions and bicarbonate, which are an acid in the base.

And this dynamic reaction within the body helps the body instantly respond to changes in pH like during stress, exercise, or even when we eat something highly acidic. And this is why CO2 matters more than you might think. I know we hear a lot about oxygen, but CO2 isn’t just a waste gas that we exhale.

It is a critical signaling molecule in the body. In fact, it’s essential for oxygen delivery into our cells. Without CO2, oxygen doesn’t get where it’s going. And this is due to something I explained before or mentioned before called the bore effect, which is a physiological phenomenon where higher CO2 levels help hemoglobin release more oxygen into your tissues.

So in other words, simplified, without enough CO2 your red blood cells hold onto oxygen too tightly and don’t release it efficiently to your brain, your muscles, or your mitochondria, the powerhouses of your cell leaving you oxygen starved, even if you’re breathing deeply. Another thing that comes into play here is that a lot of us are underbreathing. And what I mean by that, in today’s world, a lot of us, we’re breathing all the time, but we’re underbreathing, not over-breathing. So we’re breathing too shallowly or too rapidly or more through our mouth, which can lead to excess CO2 loss through exhalation to mild respiratory alkadosis.

Or acidosis too little or too much acid constriction of blood vessels and airways and reduced oxygen delivery to tissues. This state can contribute to things like brain fog, anxiety, and poor endurance, even if we are breathing normally. And so here’s where I’ve been experimenting with baking soda for this reason. And again, as always, with these podcasts, this is my own experimentation.

This is certainly not medical advice that I’m not suggesting anyone else do this. But here’s  why I’ve been experimenting with this. Small, either oral or topical through something like a baking soda bath, but small amounts of sodium bicarbonate can help raise our blood bicarbonate levels, especially when paired with breath work or nose breathing. This can help support healthy CO2 levels within the body as well. When we raise blood bicarbonate levels, this helps buffer excess hydrogen ions and stabilized pH in the blood as well. This can improve oxygen delivery as a byproduct, like I mentioned, through a better CO2 balance and through the bore effect.

And also can enhance mitochondrial respiration since our mitochondria thrive in a well oxygenated and very narrow pH balance. So the result here is, from my understanding, potentially more ATP, better endurance, and clearer thinking. And when we’re talking about something that costs literal pennies, to me it was worth the experimentation.

Bottom line here is baking soda is not just about neutralizing acid, but it’s in my mind, a player in a symphony of chemical signals related to energy production, oxygen delivery, and whole body balance. So when used wisely, I feel like it can help restore that balance, especially for those of us who might have experienced things like chronic stress or long-term illness.

Another area I wanted to touch on here, ’cause this is how I initially found out about baking soda being used in this way and started researching it, which is the topic of athletic performance and endurance. And like I mentioned, it was actually a banned substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency for a while because it had such an effect.

And I think this is really profound. It was removed from the list and is no longer a banned substance because it is a commonly used substance used in many food products even. But here’s why it was once a banned substance. It has a lot of performance benefits, these have been well supported in studies.

So during high intensity exercise especially the body can have a buildup of lactic acid which can lower the pH in the body and lead to muscle fatigue. It’s thought that baking soda buffers this lactic acid, delaying the fatigue and improving performance. And there have been various studies on this as well as a lot of anecdotal data from elite athletes that show that this can have a substantially big effect.

Now, I will note that for athletes, the dosing is often much different than what I’m talking about. I’m talking about very small doses that I’ve been experimenting with, like half a teaspoon is kind of my biggest dose at this time. I’ve heard of athletes taking a tablespoon or more. I have not personally experimented with that.

I don’t personally recommend that for the average person and for someone not used to it, that might cause a lot of gastro distress in the short term. So again, I’m not recommending that, I’m just saying that there have been noted quite profound effects in elite athletes who are able to work up to that level.

Now baking soda also in some studies, was shown to increase power output during workouts, improve endurance, and decrease muscle pain during workout, which might also be linked to that lactic acid. So I am experimenting with an additional small dose, like half a teaspoon in water before workouts. But I definitely have not tested anything above a teaspoon like some elite athletes have.

There are actually a few studies on this though, which I find fascinating, including a 2013 meta-analysis in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research that showed that sodium bicarbonate or baking soda supplementation improved performance in short-term, high intensity exercise and elite athletes. And it’s used by elite athletes to delay muscle acidosis.

Now, as I mentioned, the World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA, at one point classifies this as a performance enhancing agent due to its powerful effects and banned it. But because it’s a natural substance, it’s widely available, it was eventually removed from the banned list. Now, what’s really interesting, when I really started diving into this, I found benefits far beyond just the athletic benefits or the pH benefits. These are a little bit more peripheral and there’s less data to back this up. These are also more in the realm of, of course not medical advice. Ask your doctor or practitioner, and especially if you have any of these things going on. But there is some data that I found interesting in these different categories.

The first being kidney support, and this is actually where there’s a medically indicated use. So baking soda in very precise doses under the care of a doctor, has been used medically to slow the progression of chronic kidney disease by reducing the body’s acid load. So that is an interesting thing to consider when it comes to supporting the kidneys in general in the body.

A study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology showed that bicarbonate slowed the rate of kidney function decline and reduced the need for dialysis in chronic kidney disease patients. Now, hopefully most of us are not dealing with chronic kidney disease, however, I do think it’s worth evaluating how we can most support and love all of our major organs, especially our liver, our kidneys, our heart, et cetera.

So I thought this was interesting and wanted to mention it. Now, another medically indicated area that you might have heard of this being used is in acid reflux and digestion because it can neutralize stomach acid and offer quick relief from heartburn or indigestion. I’ve written before about why I don’t think antacids or reducing stomach acid in particular is beneficial long term.

Personally, I think some root cause work is more effective here. So this isn’t something I would personally wanna try, especially for the long term. However, this is a medically noted use. Along with urinary tract health and I have had friends use this in a pinch while traveling and had great results with it.

The idea being that sodium bicarbonate can alkalize the urine and help inhibit the growth of certain bacteria, so it may be helpful alongside other UTI prevention or strategies to tackle that. Now, where I’ve seen this work is when I was traveling with friends and a couple of them started getting a UTI, didn’t have access to traditional over the counter or pharmaceutical interventions and every few hours dose with baking soda and water, and were able to resolve the UTI at home. Again, I don’t think that’s the first line of defense necessarily, but it was in a pinch very helpful. And baking soda can be found in most places pretty easily. Now, another area I personally was interested in this and really dove into the research is the topic of anti-inflammatory and detox support. And this was really compelling for me personally. So there is some idea that chronic acidosis can be a contributor to inflammation.

Many guests on this podcast have talked about inflammation being a connected kind of core contributor to many types of chronic disease. And a 2018 study in the Journal of Immunology showed that baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, may activate anti-inflammatory pathways through the spleen. Other studies have shown that oral baking soda can reduce inflammatory microphages, increase T-cell activity, and support the vagus nerve.

And I’ve talked a lot about how a lot of us are facing more inflammatory factors in the modern world than we have throughout history. And I think this is, for me, a compelling reason, like I said, and why I’m experimenting with very low doses of this just to see the effect on my body, since I did in the past have inflammation and autoimmune disease and it’s now something I am aware of trying to keep at bay.

Speaking of that, there’s also some limited data looking at sodium bicarbonate and autoimmune support. That same 2018 study showed that baking soda orally or in bath form might reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines in autoimmune prone models hinting at systemic calming effects. Again, since this is a pretty natural substance and I am considering it myself in very small doses, I feel like this is a safe and potentially very beneficial intervention to try for myself.

Other studies show that a 20 minute baking soda bath might improve immune function and have a beneficial effect on stress levels. And there was one thyroid specific study as well that showed that it could help increase total and free T3.

And then there’s a whole category of research related to oral health. And baking soda is commonly used in oral health interventions of products like toothpaste to reduce acidity. Some people use it to whiten teeth and to support the oral microbiome.  I will link to the toothpaste I helped formulate for this. And I will say that you do wanna use it in the right way and in the right amount here. You don’t want, you can definitely over alkalize the mouth. It can be abrasive if used the wrong way. It can also be very beneficial.

And then the last category that I find really fascinating is related to blood flow and sleep. So studies looked at oral and baking soda baths as a way to increase nitric oxide production, and as a byproduct improved blood flow in the body.

And also there seemed to be a beneficial effect on sleep. Other studies show this small doses orally throughout the day, decreased nighttime urination, improved energy, and improved subjective evaluations of sleep. And the doses here were half a teaspoon to a teaspoon in water up to twice a day. Again, that’s not medical advice.

What I’m personally doing as an experiment right now is half a teaspoon in water, usually twice a day. So, that brings us to the what to do, what I’m doing section.  I will share strictly what I’m doing. Definitely if this is something you are interested in, I highly encourage you to do your own research and see what feels good to you and experiment with your own body.

I talk often about us being our own primary healthcare providers. I think this is another area of an N of 1 study where the most valuable data will come from your own experimentation on your body. What I’m doing is usually a half a teaspoon, once or twice daily away from meals because it does reduce stomach acid.

I’m personally not doing this around mealtime because I don’t want to reduce my stomach acid during those times. And I sometimes will take something like HCL breakthrough at meal times to make sure my stomach acid is strong. Some sources I saw recommend a morning dose on an empty stomach to support energy and alkalinity.

So I’ve been experimenting with this pre-breakfast. Seemingly it can also be combined with potassium and magnesium for balance and as well as salt, which I talked about in this episode with Mara Labs. I also saw dosing…so athletes and those with chronic advanced conditions, medical conditions, can take more under the guidance of medical professionals. But for my own personal experimentation, I’m sticking to that half teaspoon dose. I’ll also mention it does not taste good at big doses.

As with anything, this is a natural substance, but too much of even a good thing can be harmful. So cautions for here at high doses, this can cause nausea, diarrhea, or bloating. I wouldn’t take this or anything long term without medical guidance, especially if you have any kind of chronic condition or if you have something related to kidneys, cardiovascular, always ask a doctor first, this is never medical advice. Purely on a practical level, I found this more palatable with a squeeze of lemon juice or even adding salt to kind of buffer the taste of the baking soda. And I sometimes take more, like I said, pre-workout or on really stressful days. I also really love combining baking soda and Epsom salt in a bath and doing that, especially post-workout, has been great.

So, to recap why this likely works, it isn’t just woo, it’s chemistry because baking soda literally acts like a buffering system helping to regulate our pH, our CO2 levels, and our energy metabolism. It can support the kidney’s, nervous system, immune system, even gut health. It’s also highly, extremely inexpensive and extremely easy to try. I always encourage you to do your own research, I’m just sharing what I found in mine. So key takeaways that I found: Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate can help regulate pH, CO2, and acid load within the body. By doing so it can support athletic performance, sleep, kidney health, inflammation, stress, and potentially other things. As with anything, check with the doctor first, especially if you have a health condition. Start small, go slow. More is not better. Even a tiny amount can have quite a profound effect. And what I do is half a teaspoon in water first thing in the morning.

Sometimes again, pre-workout to boost performance, I’ll sometimes do an Epsom salt and baking soda bath for relaxation at night. And it can also be used in oral care formulations and I’ll include some links there as well. So I know this was a pretty niche and a very quick episode. I just wanted to share something that’s been a research topic for me lately and top of mind, and that I have noticed some initial good results from this and increasing my sodium intake.

Again, I talked about that in a recent episode with David and John from Mara Labs as well, and that will air hopefully soon. I’ll let you know when that one airs, but I love when I can find simple, inexpensive, or free tools that seemingly help support the body’s natural function and pathways and that are either low cost or no cost and easy to implement. And I feel like that is something I have found with my recent experimentation with baking soda, and I wanted to share it with you. As always, I’m so grateful that you chose to share your time with me in listening to this episode.

If you have a moment, I’m honored if you leave a rating or a review as this helps other people find and listen as well. And I do read every review and love hearing your honest feedback. If you ever have questions, concerns, or future guests you would like me to interview, please either leave a comment on the show notes of any podcast or reach out to me on Instagram and let me know.

I do read those messages and I love to hear from you. But for today, thank you so much for your time, for your energy, and for your attention, and I hope you will join me again on the next episode of The Wellness Mama Podcast.