Acute effects of oral sodium bicarbonate on blood marker levels in elite judo athletes

Abstract

Introduction. The aim of this study was to establish if sodium bicarbonate affects the blood marker levels after a Special Judo Fitness Test in elite judo athletes. Material and Methods. Ten male judo athletes (age 20 ? 2.1 years; body height 180.18 ? 8.11 cm; body mass 85.24 ? 23.17 kg; body mass index 25.2 ? 3.4 kg/m2), judo masters (black belt holders) with at least 10 years of training and competition experience, agreed to participate in the current research. Results. The results showed a significant main effect of time (p < 0.05) for the following variables: uric acid, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, phosphate, magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium, and chloride. We found that creatine kinase, C-reactive protein, sodium and chloride were significantly different (p < 0.05) in the sodium bicarbonate group compared to placebo group after the Special Judo Fitness Test. Conclusion. The main finding of the present study was that sodium bicarbonate (0.3 g/kg) improved recovery compared to placebo in elite judokas. Therefore, coaches should consider sodium bicarbonate to improve athlete recovery during combat.