Sodium citrate dose, timing and exercise performance reviewed
What it found
Taking 500 mg/kg body mass of sodium citrate raised blood alkalosis more often than lower doses, and capsule form reduced gut symptoms.
Performance improved most in short, very high intensity exercise.
What they found
Studies in people
Dose and alkalosis
A dose of 500 mg/kg body mass caused blood alkalosis more often than doses under 500 mg/kg, and about as often as doses over 500 mg/kg.
Gut symptoms and form
Gut symptoms were lowest when the 500 mg/kg body mass dose was taken in capsules instead of in solution.
Short very high intensity
All observations of short duration, very high intensity exercise with a 500 mg/kg body mass dose showed significant performance improvements.
Short high intensity unclear
For short duration, high intensity exercise, only 25% of observations reported significant performance improvements, so the benefit is less clear.
What the authors conclude
“Based on the current literature, the authors recommend ingestion of 500 mg/kg BM sodium citrate in capsules to induce alkalosis and minimize GI symptoms.”
Also in their conclusions
- They recommend taking 500 mg/kg body mass of sodium citrate in capsules to cause alkalosis and reduce gut symptoms.
- They say supplementation was most helpful for short duration, very high intensity exercise.
- They call for more research to work out the importance of how long and when it is taken.
How it was done
The authors wanted to find out which factors affect body responses, gut symptoms and exercise performance after taking sodium citrate.
They searched the literature and found 33 articles. They grouped body responses and gut symptoms by dose and by how long after taking it measurements were made, and compared performance with a placebo.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This review pulls together different studies, so it cannot prove that sodium citrate directly causes any performance change.
- The studies used different exercise types and timings, so the results may not apply to every person or every workout.
The paper
- Title
- Factors Influencing Blood Alkalosis and Other Physiological Responses, Gastrointestinal Symptoms, and Exercise Performance Following Sodium Citrate Supplementation: A Review
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Urwin CS, Snow RJ, Condo D, Snipe R, Wadley GD, Carr AJ (2021). Factors Influencing Blood Alkalosis and Other Physiological Responses, Gastrointestinal Symptoms, and Exercise Performance Following Sodium Citrate Supplementation: A Review. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2020-0192PubMed 33440332DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error