Effects of Sodium Bicarbonate Ingestion on Measures of Wingate Test Performance: A Meta-Analysis.

The review aimed to perform a meta-analysis of studies exploring the acute effects of sodium bicarbonate on Wingate test performance. Ten databases were searched to find studies that examined the effects of sodium bicarbonate on single and repeated Wingate tests. Meta-analyses were performed using the random-effects model. Ten studies were included in the review. There was no significant difference between the sodium bicarbonate and placebo trials for mean power in Wingate test 1 (standardized mean difference [SMD]¼0.02; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.07, 0.11) and test 3 (SMD =0.21; 95% CI: -0.16, 0.58). There was a significant effect of sodium bicarbonate on mean power in Wingate test 2 (SMD =0.09; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.16), and test 4 (SMD =0.62; 95% CI: 0.15, 1.08). When considering studies that used shorter rest intervals between repeated Wingate tests, a significant effect of sodium bicarbonate was found on mean power in Wingate test 3 (SMD =0.40; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.80). There was no significant difference between the sodium bicarbonate and placebo trials for peak power in Wingate test 1 (SMD =-0.01; 95% CI: -0.06, 0.04), test 2 (SMD =0.02; 95% CI: -0.10, 0.13), or test 4 (SMD =0.29; 95% CI: -0.13, 0.71). There was a significant effect of sodium bicarbonate on peak power in test 3 (SMD =0.09; 95% CI: 0.00, 0.17). The results of this review suggest that sodium bicarbonate may provide an ergogenic effect on measures of repeated Wingate test performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]