Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Nov 19;13(11):e0205708.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205708. eCollection 2018.

Alkaline water improves exercise-induced metabolic acidosis and enhances anaerobic exercise performance in combat sport athletes

Jakub Chycki  1 , Anna Kurylas  1 , Adam Maszczyk  2 , Artur Golas  1 , Adam Zajac  1
Affiliations

Alkaline water improves exercise-induced metabolic acidosis and enhances anaerobic exercise performance in combat sport athletes

Jakub Chycki et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Hydration is one of the most significant issues for combat sports as athletes often use water restriction for quick weight loss before competition. It appears that alkaline water can be an effective alternative to sodium bicarbonate in preventing the effects of exercise-induced metabolic acidosis. Therefore, the main aim of the present study was to investigate, in a double blind, placebo controlled randomized study, the impact of mineral-based highly alkaline water on acid-base balance, hydration status, and anaerobic capacity. Sixteen well trained combat sport athletes (n = 16), were randomly divided into two groups; the experimental group (EG; n = 8), which ingested highly alkaline water for three weeks, and the control group (CG; n = 8), which received regular table water. Anaerobic performance was evaluated by two double 30 s Wingate tests for lower and upper limbs, respectively, with a passive rest interval of 3 minutes between the bouts of exercise. Fingertip capillary blood samples for the assessment of lactate concentration were drawn at rest and during the 3rd min of recovery. In addition, acid-base equilibrium and electrolyte status were evaluated. Urine samples were evaluated for specific gravity and pH. The results indicate that drinking alkalized water enhances hydration, improves acid-base balance and anaerobic exercise performance.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Differences between the control and experimental groups in total work of the lower and upper limbs (30s Wingate test) at baseline and after 3 weeks of alkaline or table water ingestion.
Note: * statistically significant values.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Convertino VA, Armstrong LE, Coyle EF, Mack GW, Sawka MN, Senay LC, Sherman WM. American college of sports medicine position stand. Exercise and fluid replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1996; 28. - PubMed
    1. Noakes TD, Speedy DB. Case proven. Exercise associated hyponatraemia is due to overdrinking. So why did it take 20 years before the original evidence was accepted? Brit J Sports Med 2006; 40:567–572. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mettler S, Mannhart CH. Hydration, drinking and exercise performance. Swiss Sports Ex Med 2017; 65(1), 16–21.
    1. Davis JK, Laurent CM, Allen KE, Green IM, Stolworthy NI, Welch TR, Nevett ME. Influence of dehydration on intermittent sprint performance. J. Strength Cond Res 2015; 29:2586–93. 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000907 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Judelson DA, Maresh CM, Anderson IM, Armstrong LE, Casa DI, Kraemer WJ, Volek JS. Hydration and muscular performance: Does fluid balance affect strength, power and high-intensity endurance. Sports Med 2007; 37:907–921. 10.2165/00007256-200737100-00006 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types