Sodium phosphate supplementation, appetite, energy intake and aerobic capacity in trained people
What it found
Six days of sodium phosphate made no difference to how much energy people ate or their peak aerobic fitness.
This was tested in twenty trained men and women.
What they found
Studies in people
Energy eaten at meals
People ate about the same amount at a test meal after one day of sodium phosphate compared with the dummy pill. Eating over the full six days was also similar between the two phases.
Peak aerobic fitness
After six days, peak aerobic fitness was about the same whether people took sodium phosphate or the dummy pill.
What the authors conclude
- They say that taking sodium phosphate for six days does not seem to change how much energy trained people eat.
- The authors note that athletes can use this supplement without hurting their nutrition.
- They add that because it did not improve aerobic fitness, the performance benefit of this supplement is doubtful.
How it was done
A single dose of phosphate has been shown to reduce how much people eat at the next meal. The authors wanted to know if taking it for several days, as athletes do, also changes food intake.
Twenty trained men and women took either sodium phosphate or a dummy pill for six days each, in a random order. They measured appetite and food intake on days one, two and six. After the six days they tested peak aerobic fitness.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This trial only looked at twenty trained men and women over six days. It cannot show what happens in people who are not athletes or over longer periods.
- It only measured appetite, food intake and aerobic fitness. Other effects of sodium phosphate were not tested.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Western Australia, Australia
The paper
- Title
- The effect of 6 days of sodium phosphate supplementation on appetite, energy intake, and aerobic capacity in trained men and women
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- West JS, Ayton T, Wallman KE, Guelfi KJ (2012). The effect of 6 days of sodium phosphate supplementation on appetite, energy intake, and aerobic capacity in trained men and women. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.22.6.422PubMed 22804972DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error