Taking Bicarb: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The performance benefits of bicarbonate supplementation have been known for decades. A large body of research shows that bicarb can improve tolerance of high intensity exercise by buffering acidity.

For a long time, however, athletes had only one practical option. Mixing raw bicarbonate of soda in water. While effective on paper, it has always been unpredictable in practice and frequently associated with significant stomach issues.

Today, athletes have more choice. But not all options are created equal.

The good: FLYCARB's BICARRB

BICARRB was developed to make bicarb supplementation practical, reliable, effective, and affordable for athletes.

The performance benefits are well established, so we focused on improving the delivery. BICARRB uses a highly viscous gel format with a small serving volume, making it easier to consume and more easily digestible. We use pH neutral flavours to improve taste and help protect the bicarbonate from unwanted reactions before ingestion.

The result is more consistent delivery of the performance benefit, without the traditional gastrointestinal side effects associated with bicarb use.

Mango and Original BICARRB are also Informed Sport certified, giving athletes extra confidence that the product is batch tested,

The bad: pills and bars

Bicarb pills

Bicarbonate capsules have been available for some time. Some are enterically coated, similar to ibuprofen, which can offer some protection against breakdown in stomach acid. However, most capsules contain only 0.5 to 1 gram of bicarb.

To reach an effective dose of around 16 grams, which is typical for a 60 to 80 kg athlete, this would require swallowing 16 to 32 capsules. That volume is uncomfortable for many athletes and often leads to gastrointestinal distress. In practice, a small serving of our BICARRB is far easier to take and tolerate!

Bicarb bars

Bicarb bars are a more problematic concept. Bicarbonate is alkaline and unstable. If a bar is baked, the bicarb will likely have already reacted during production, much like in baking a cake, meaning the performance benefit is lost. If the bar is set rather than baked, combining bicarb with fats or acidic ingredients can still cause reactions or stomach discomfort.

Dosing is also an issue. Effective bicarb intake is bodyweight dependent, typically around 0.2 to 0.3 grams per kilogram. A fixed dose bar may be too much for some athletes and not enough for others. At present, there are also no bicarb bars batch tested by Informed Sport.

The ugly: raw bicarb

Consuming raw bicarbonate mixed with water remains the highest risk option. Nausea, bloating, headaches, and gut distress are common. The taste is unpleasant, products are rarely batch tested, and absorption can be uneven.

While the science behind bicarb has always been strong, the raw approach has made it unreliable and risky, particularly on race day.

A better way to take bicarb?

The challenge with bicarbonate supplementation has never been whether it works. The challenge has been how to take it without side effects, in a form that is pleasant, repeatable, and affordable.

That is where our BICARRB changes the game.