Latest news with #sodiumbicarbonate
Irish Times
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Ian O'Riordan: How old-fashioned baking soda became the new running superdrug
We were having some drinks in the Blue Light pub this week when the conversation suddenly turned from crazy fast times on the track to explosive diarrhoea. This was all my fault, to be honest, as I was trying to explain why so many running records are tumbling. It was one of those rare evenings in the Dublin Mountains when the heat still lingers after the sun sinks down behind us − the tranquil outline of Howth set out below in perfect miniature − and when living up here feels very wise, unlike the feeling of complete madness you get most days in winter. We weren't a particularly sporty crew, and the question was innocently put to me about why we're witnessing an onslaught of records. World, European, Irish, etc. There's my usual answer of the super spikes, the wavelight technology which has revolutionised pacemaking, possibly some banned substance we don't yet know about, plus the increased use of sodium bicarb – the fast trending and perfectly legal running superdrug better known as baking soda. It amazed me that none of them had heard of this before. The use of sodium bicarbonate, given in full molecular terms, has in fact been flagged as a potentially performance-enhancing aid going back to the 1930s. Just not to be confused with sodium carbonate, which is better known as washing powder. READ MORE There is no precise figure around sodium bicarb use, but judging by any conversation around athletics these days, it's clearly prevalent. Especially among middle-distance runners. Britain's Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson is an ambassador for the Maurten brand of sodium bicarb, her coach Trevor Painter last year saying he 'couldn't recommend it strongly enough'. At last Saturday's Pre Classic meeting in Eugene, Oregon, Kenya's Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet broke the world record over the 1,500m and 5,000m, respectively, and in the Bowerman Mile, a record 13 men ran under 3:50, the deepest field in running history, with 20-year-old rising Dutch star Niels Laros leading the way with his 3:45.94. Bonkers. In the men's 800m, five of the seven fastest runners of all time are currently battling it out on the Diamond League circuit. In the 400m, two-time Olympic gold medallist Vernon Norwood, from the US, is another sodium bicarb ambassador, and my estimate is at least 50 per cent of top athletes in these events are getting their pre-race dose in some shape or form. Vernon Norwood of Team United States during the 4 x 400m Relay Mixed final at the Olympic Games in Paris on August 3rd, 2024. Photograph:There is no telling what exact role sodium bicarb may or may not be playing in these sorts of times, although the science behind its use is relatively simple. Whenever the human body is subjected to intense bouts of physical activity, the muscles, increasingly starved of oxygen, start to produce more lactates. Which is not a bad thing, as lactate acts as a further fuel source. Traditionally, runners tying up in agony at the end of races were said to be swimming in a sea of lactic acid. The problem, rather, is the excess of hydrogen ions, another byproduct of intense exercise, which interfere with muscle contractions, decreasing the PH and causing acidosis. That's the muscle-burning sensation most of us know about. [ Running up that dune: How Keely Hodgkinson follows in the training footsteps of the greats Opens in new window ] So here's the deal: A small amount of the alkaline sodium bicarb in the bloodstream can help buffer the hydrogen ions, reducing acidosis and the sense of exhaustion, thus improving performance. In turn, more lactate production can increase muscle power output. But here's the danger: Getting sodium bicarb safely into the bloodstream is a tricky exercise, as any excess will soon cause digestive issues, including cramp, bloating and, in worst cases, that explosive diarrhoea – fast cancelling out any performance gains in the process. For many years, some athletes might take a teaspoon from that little red tin of Royal Baking Powder and mix it into water, hoping for the best. Same as they might mix a spoonful of Kretschmer Wheat Germ into their cereal, back when that was thought to be performance-enhancing. Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain celebrates winning the women's 800m final during the London Athletics Meet on July 20th, 2024. Photograph:Modern science has looked more closely at sodium bicarb, the newer supplements originally coming in capsule form. One lengthy study carried out by the International Society of Sports Nutrition in 2021 concluded that sodium bicarb supplementation improves performance in 'muscular endurance activities ... including boxing, judo, karate, taekwondo and wrestling, and in high-intensity cycling, running, swimming and rowing'. This was mostly established for exercise tasks of high intensity that last between 30 seconds and 12 minutes, the sodium bicarb consumed about 90 minutes beforehand, in an ideally measured dose of 0.3g per kg of body weight. Another study suggested a performance benefit of 1.4 per cent over a 40km cycling time trial. In 2023, Swedish nutrition company Maurten released its Bicarb System supplement, which claims to completely bypass the stomach using its hydrogel technology, carrying it straight into the small intestine for easier absorption, and reduced side effects. This is the same jelly-like technology used in their energy drink mix, which Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge also swore by when breaking the marathon world record, and is also the leading drink of choice in the peloton. [ Tokyo 2020: Kipchoge's memorable marathon success a fitting final act Opens in new window ] A four-pack of Maurten Bicarb System will set you back €70, and comes in five different serving sizes, the small nuggets of sodium bicarbonate to be mixed up with the hydrogel immediately before consumption. An athlete of Hodgkinson's calibre wouldn't play around with this before an Olympic final unless she was sure there was some benefit, and zero risk of any side effects. And the Maurten brand has certainly been setting the pace on sodium bicarb consumption, with few reports of any unpleasant surprises. My current levels of intense physical activity wouldn't justify any such investment, although that 2021 study also concluded that, while the benefits of sodium bicarb are primarily due to a range of its physiological effects, 'a portion of the ergogenic effect seems to be placebo-driven'. You know what that suggests. Like caffeine, creatine and L-carnitine, sodium bicarb may be perfectly legal, but that doesn't always mean it's doing exactly what it says on the tin.
ABC News
15-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Health minister's apology cold comfort for family of woman who died due to a medication error at Canberra Hospital
It's been more than four years since a mistake at Canberra Hospital resulted in the death of mother-of-three Jessica Bovill. For her husband, Bill, life hasn't got any easier. "We had everything. We were about to have more," Mr Bovill said in a statement to the ABC. Mrs Bovill, 43, was taken to the hospital after overdosing on her prescribed anti-depressant medication in December 2020. In his findings handed down in February from the coronial inquest into her death, Coroner Ken Archer found Mrs Bovill was given sodium bicarbonate during her treatment "in doses that were far in excess of therapeutic requirements". Mr Archer found that the error in the dosage of sodium bicarbonate caused Mrs Bovill's death. "The reasonable survival prospects she had were lost because of the administration of sodium bicarbonate in excessive quantities," he said. The coroner made adverse comments about an emergency department specialist, anonymised as "Dr TX". "Dr TX, whilst undoubtedly busy, made clinical decisions based on inadequate consultation and without reference to available and authoritative clinical guidance," Mr Archer said. For Mr Bovill, the actions of Dr TX have haunted him. "No one survives what Dr TX did. No one," he said. Responding to the coroner's findings, Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith told the ACT Legislative Assembly on Thursday she was "deeply sorry", acknowledging the deficiencies in Mrs Bovill's care. "I extend our sincere condolences to Jessica's family and apologise for the shortcomings in her care," Ms Stephen-Smith said. "Systems and processes in place at the time of Jessica's presentation let her and her family down. "I am deeply sorry and can ensure Jessica's family and the wider community that Canberra Health Services (CHS) is committed to ensuring that no other family experiences this pain." Ms Stephen-Smith said a series of changes had been implemented following Mrs Bovill's death. "CHS has learnt from Jessica's case and has hardwired changes to stop this happening again," she said. Among the changes, Ms Stephen-Smith said new protocols have been put in place to give clear guidance for hospital staff to follow in similar life-threatening poisoning presentations, including the important of consulting the Poisons Information Centre. She also said the accessibility of sodium bicarbonate was reviewed followed Mrs Bovill's death, and that its availability is now more restricted. Ms Stephen-Smith said the introduction of a digital health record (DHR) system would also alert staff to possible prescribing errors. "At the time of Jessica's admission, sodium bicarbonate could be administered by verbal order, with the order recorded on a paper based chart," she said. "The DHR does not allow verbal ordering of sodium bicarbonate … and it ensures that situational awareness is maintained." The apology from the minister is cold comfort to Mr Bovill, who has called for her to resign. He also echoed a call from the family of Rozalia Spadafora, who died at Canberra Hospital the day after her fifth birthday in 2022, for a royal commission in the ACT's health system. He said he spent more than three years thinking his wife had died because of self-harm. "We were told that they had treated Jess with sodium bicarbonate, that they had given her more than they normally would, that there would be an investigation," he said. "I didn't understand the implications of this. When your whole world has been torn apart, you don't think to ask too many questions. "Later that week, my daughter, eldest son, and I, sat through a meeting with a social worker, and were told that Jess died by suicide. Mr Bovill said he'd also like to see reform in the coronial system to make it more "restorative, rather than combative" as he said it had been for his family. "I so wish she were still here," he said. The apology from Ms Stephen-Smith on Thursday came just 24 hours after she delivered a separate apology, following another death at Canberra Hospital. Sharyn Kaine, 73, was admitted to the hospital in 2021 after experiencing abdominal pain and was given a dose of paracetamol that was not adjusted for her body weight. She died a few days later, which a coronial inquest last year found was a result of paracetamol-induced liver failure. In this apology, Ms Stephen-Smith told the ACT Legislative Assembly safety mechanisms were now in place to ensure similar failures don't happen again. "Sharyn's death and this inquest is a timely reminder that all medications may have serious side affects at the incorrect dosage," she said. "I extend my sincere condolences to the family and apologise for the shortcomings in care that resulted in Sharyn's death. "Canberra Health Services is a different organisation today than it was at the time of Sharyn's death." Through the introduction of the DHR, Ms Stephen-Smith said if Ms Kaine was admitted now, her paracetamol order would go through a series of checks.
