Sodium citrate and hormone levels during running
What it found
In 13 trained male runners, drinking sodium citrate before running lowered aldosterone in the blood at rest and during exercise.
The authors say this may be linked to a rise in blood plasma volume and sodium.
What they found
Studies in people
Aldosterone at rest
Before the run, aldosterone was 36.5% lower after sodium citrate than after the placebo. Baseline levels before either drink were the same.
Aldosterone during exercise
The rise in aldosterone caused by running was 33% smaller after sodium citrate than after placebo.
Other hormones unchanged
There were no differences between the two trials in adrenocorticotropic hormone, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, or renin activity at any stage.
Plasma volume
Plasma volume rose more after the sodium citrate drink than after the placebo drink (6.41% versus 4.08%).
Blood sodium
Serum sodium rose by 3.1 mmol/L after sodium citrate but not after placebo. After the run, sodium was higher in the citrate trial (142.4 versus 139.3 mmol/L).
What the authors conclude
“In conclusion, pre-exercise ingestion of CIT induces a decrease in serum aldosterone concentration in the resting condition and a blunting of the aldosterone response during incremental running exercise to volitional exhaustion.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that taking sodium citrate before exercise lowers aldosterone at rest and reduces the aldosterone response during incremental running to exhaustion.
- They say the effect on aldosterone may be caused by the acute rise in plasma volume and changes in serum sodium.
How it was done
The authors wanted to find out whether taking sodium citrate changes blood levels of hormones that control fluid and electrolytes, both at rest and during exercise.
Thirteen young, well-trained male runners did two treadmill runs to exhaustion, two weeks apart. Two hours before each run they drank either 0.5 g per kg of body mass of sodium citrate or a placebo, in 1000 mL of solution, in a randomised, double-blinded, crossover design.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This was a small study of 13 young, well-trained male runners, so the results may not apply to other people.
- It only looked at one dose of sodium citrate and one type of exercise, so it cannot show what happens with other doses or activities.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Tartu, Estonia
The paper
- Title
- Ingestion of sodium citrate suppresses aldosterone level in blood at rest and during exercise
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Oöpik V, Timpmann S, Hackney AC, Kadak K, Medijainen L, Karelson K (2010). Ingestion of sodium citrate suppresses aldosterone level in blood at rest and during exercise. Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme. doi:10.1139/H10-018PubMed 20555371DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error