Effects of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on lactate steady state responses in female futsal players

This purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on lactate steady state responses (blood lactate and heart rate) in female futsal players. 30 female futsal players volunteered to participate in this investigation. Participants were randomly assigned to either experimental group or placebo group. While the experimental group was ingested sodium bicarbonate supplementation (NaHCO3), the placebo group was ingested sodium chloride (NaCl). Participants were first tested using a standard incremental treadmill test to define the blood lactate profile. Running speeds corresponding to fixed blood lactate concentrations of 4.0 mmol.l-1 were calculated using linear interpolation. The maximal lactate steady state was determined from 30-min constant-speed treadmill runs. The maximal lactate steady state was defined as fastest running speed that produced no more than a 1.0 mmol.l-1 increase in blood lactate concentration between 10 and 30 min of exercise. Paired Samples T test was used to determine whether there are significant blood lactate and heart rate differences in before and after sodium bicarbonate ingestion. Test results showed a significant decrease in the post-supplement heart rate responses given by the sodium bicarbonate group at the 10th, 20th and 30th min of the lactate steady state exercise (p 0.05).   Key words: Lactate steady state, sodium bicarbonate, heart rate, blood lactate.