The Study
Effect of Oral and Topical Sodium Bicarbonate on Functional Recovery and Soccer-Specific Performance After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study
This study is like a fair test where soccer players got either a special drink, a special cream, or nothing, and then we saw how well they ran and moved after being tired. We found that the drink helped them play better the second time, but it didn't make their muscles feel less sore. So we can say the drink might help performance, but we can't say it fixes muscle damage.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Soccer players got really tired from sprinting, then took either baking soda pills, a baking soda lotion, or a fake treatment. The pills didn't make them feel less sore or stronger, but did help them run faster and change direction better when tested 3 days later.
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 574 / 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.
- 1Yes — even when players were still tired from muscle damage, the baking soda pills helped them perform much better in key soccer movements like sprinting and changing direction.
- 2Oral baking soda: 1.69x bigger improvement in agility test, 1.61x bigger improvement in endurance test vs placebo.
- 3Topical lotion: no improvement in any test.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nutrients
Year
2025
Authors
William H. Gurton, Lewis A. Gough, Anthony Lynn, M. Ranchordas
Related Content
Claims (5)
Taking sodium bicarbonate at a dose of 0.3 grams per kilogram of body weight two hours before a soccer performance test, 72 hours after muscle damage, reduces the loss of agility and endurance in male and female soccer players. This effect is associated with increased blood bicarbonate and pH levels, which improve the body's ability to neutralize hydrogen ions during high-intensity exercise.
Applying sodium bicarbonate through a lotion at a dose of 0.9036 grams per kilogram of body weight does not improve recovery or soccer performance after muscle damage from exercise, even though it raises blood pH, because the skin delivery method does not produce enough systemic effect to influence performance.
Taking sodium bicarbonate orally increases blood pH and bicarbonate levels around the time of high-intensity soccer exercise in athletes with muscle damage, but these changes are not linked to better muscle performance or less soreness.
Taking sodium bicarbonate by mouth or applying it to the skin does not improve muscle strength recovery or reduce muscle soreness after intense soccer play, based on measurements taken over three days.
Taking sodium bicarbonate by mouth raises bicarbonate levels outside muscle cells, allowing hydrogen ions to leave the cells and lowering acid levels inside the cells.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.