The Study
The ergogenic effect of beta-alanine combined with sodium bicarbonate on high-intensity swimming performance.
This study saw that swimmers swam a little faster after taking some supplements, but we don’t know if the supplements actually caused the improvement — maybe they just happened to get better for other reasons. So we can say the supplements and faster times are linked, but not that one made the other happen.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Two supplements, beta-alanine and sodium bicarbonate, were tested to see if they help swimmers swim faster in short races.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 538 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1A 2% improvement in swimming time is meaningful in competitive racing, where races are often won by fractions of a second.
- 2Beta-alanine made swimmers 2.1% faster in 100m and 2.0% faster in 200m.
- 3Sodium bicarbonate alone made them 2.2% faster in 100m and 2.3% faster in 200m.
- 4Using both together made them 2.13% faster in 200m, but not significantly faster than beta-alanine alone.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme
Year
2013
Authors
V. Painelli, H. Roschel, F. D. Jesus, C. Sale, R. Harris, M. Solis, F. Benatti, B. Gualano, A. Lancha, G. Artioli
Related Content
Claims (4)
Taking beta-alanine and sodium bicarbonate together improves exercise performance more than taking either one alone, with an effect size of 0.43.
Competitive swimmers who take sodium bicarbonate without beta-alanine show a 2.3% faster time in the 200-meter swim and a 2.2% faster time in the 100-meter swim.
Taking beta-alanine and sodium bicarbonate together shows a small, statistically nonsignificant increase in 200-meter swim performance compared to taking beta-alanine alone, with a 78.5% chance of a positive effect.
Competitive swimmers who take beta-alanine at 3.2 grams per day for one week and then 6.4 grams per day for four to five weeks swim 100 meters 2.1% faster and 200 meters 2.0% faster than before.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.