It reflects the experiences of many athletes who have started using the supplement since it launched in 2023.

Canadian athlete Marco Arop believes it helped him achieve a PB and a silver medal in the 800 metres at the Paris Olympics: “That’s something we kind of experimented with, last minute. I figured if everybody else is using it, and it’s been working wonders.”

But it’s not just runners using it.

“It appears to be effective [in] not only endurance exercises but also resistance exercises,” says Professor Ken Nosaka, director of Exercise and Sports Science at Edith Cowan University. “I assume that many athletes (runners, swimmers, rowers, etc) used it in the Olympic Games.”

Previous studies suggested it is most beneficial in shorter, more explosive forms of exercise.

“It is pretty clear that Sodium Bicarbonate can improve high-intensity performance in the one to 10-minute range,” says Professor David Bishop, head of the skeletal muscle and training research group at Victoria University.

Why? Hard, intense exercise produces lactic acid, which changes our pH, making our muscles and blood more acidic and impairing performance. Bicarb helps to increase the pH, bringing the acid down so we can sustain higher output for longer.

“It can also help delay muscle fatigue in longer exercise up to approximately 60 minutes as shown in the study,” adds Michael Chapman, an endurance athlete and public health nutritionist.

While the benefits are there for elite athletes, the jury is out about whether we should try it before our next event.

For starters, it’s about $30 a serve for the Maurten product, and for a one per cent improvement, you’re better off sticking to caffeine, says Bishop. As for the $2 supermarket version, he says: “Supermarket bicarb is a lot cheaper but not as palatable and more likely to cause gastrointestinal problems.”

Loading

Slater adds that unless the event you are participating in involves anaerobic effort, we don’t produce enough lactate to need it.

“The high acid load comes with really intense exercise,” he reiterates. “If you go out for an hour or two-hour steady state ride, or you can still talk to people that you’re running with or riding with, you’re probably not going to get any benefit from it.”

And while a one per cent improvement matters if you’re elite, it won’t make much of a difference to the vast majority. For the general public, there are “many other key elements to focus on before touching this”, Chapman says.

Still, for those who are willing to put their GI to the test, Nosaka says several strategies can help mitigate the side effects.

“One is the timing of the ingestion – there are less side effects at three hours than one-to-two hours before exercise,” he says. “It is also better to take it in enteric-coated capsules.”

Experts also recommend trialling it before any major event and working with a sports dietitian.

“They can work with you to trial the product to assess potential benefit but also potential risk,” says Slater.

Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our Live Well newsletter. Get it in your inbox every Monday.