Health - Wellness
Does Drinking Baking Soda Really Help You Lose Weight?
By CATHERINE CARUSO
Baking soda can act as an antacid, and drinking it can help soothe digestion. It is also thought to promote weight loss and break down fat, but that theory has been disproven, as you need to burn more calories than you eat, and baking soda has no direct impact on that. However, baking soda may impact your athletic performance.
A 2013 study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that people who consumed baking soda an hour before working out had less muscle fatigue and could exercise much longer. Another study published in PLOS ONE found that baking soda improved participants' cycling time to exhaustion.
"Sodium bicarbonate may benefit endurance by making the blood slightly more alkaline (i.e., less acidic)," says Dr. Rachele Pojednic, an assistant professor of nutrition at Simmons College. "Having less acid in the working muscle would actually delay the onset of muscle fatigue," they added. That said, further research is needed to confirm the effects of baking soda on athletic performance.