Sodium citrate allows tennis player to win more often
If tennis players take supplements with sodium citrate two hours before a match, their chances of a victory increase by about a third. Brazilian sports scientists at the University of Campinas report this in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. But the dose that the Brazilians used was very high...
Study
The Brazilians experimented with 10 young male tennis players, all of whom were active at the national level. The test subjects had to play a game of tennis on various occasions. One time the test subjects played two hours after they had received an astronomical dose of sodium citrate, the other time after they had received a placebo.
The researchers gave their test subjects a dose of 500 milligrams of sodium citrate per kilo of body weight. That substance was in capsules, each containing 500 milligrams. The players therefore took one capsule per kilo of body weight. Ugh.
Results
Sodium citrate supplementation reduced the amount of lactic acid [La] in the players' blood before and after the game, and raised the pH value.
Sodium citrate supplementation increased the chances of the player winning a game [above], and that had everything to do with the metabolic effects of sodium citrate. The researchers found an association between the blood pH of the test subjects and the number of times they won a game.
The greater the pH value, the greater the chance of winning [below].
Side effects
Three subjects complained about side effects of the supplement, such as "abdominal pain, epigastric pain, abdominal noises, bloating, urge to burp, loss of appetite and flatulence." Two test subjects suffered from headache.
After taking the capsules without active substances, the subjects reported no side effects.
Conclusion
"The current findings suggest that sodium citrate supplementation is an effective ergogenic aid for enhanced skilled tennis performance," the Brazilians summarize.
Source: J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2019 Aug 1;16(1):32.
If tennis players take supplements with sodium citrate two hours before a match, their chances of a victory increase by about a third. Brazilian sports scientists at the University of Campinas report this in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. But the dose that the Brazilians used was very high...
Study
The Brazilians experimented with 10 young male tennis players, all of whom were active at the national level. The test subjects had to play a game of tennis on various occasions. One time the test subjects played two hours after they had received an astronomical dose of sodium citrate, the other time after they had received a placebo.
The researchers gave their test subjects a dose of 500 milligrams of sodium citrate per kilo of body weight. That substance was in capsules, each containing 500 milligrams. The players therefore took one capsule per kilo of body weight. Ugh.
Results
Sodium citrate supplementation reduced the amount of lactic acid [La] in the players' blood before and after the game, and raised the pH value.
Sodium citrate supplementation increased the chances of the player winning a game [above], and that had everything to do with the metabolic effects of sodium citrate. The researchers found an association between the blood pH of the test subjects and the number of times they won a game.
The greater the pH value, the greater the chance of winning [below].
Side effects
Three subjects complained about side effects of the supplement, such as "abdominal pain, epigastric pain, abdominal noises, bloating, urge to burp, loss of appetite and flatulence." Two test subjects suffered from headache.
After taking the capsules without active substances, the subjects reported no side effects.
Conclusion
"The current findings suggest that sodium citrate supplementation is an effective ergogenic aid for enhanced skilled tennis performance," the Brazilians summarize.
Source: J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2019 Aug 1;16(1):32.
