@Article{Gurton2026,
journal="Biology of Sport",
issn="0860-021X",
year="2026",
title="Prevalence, implementation, and barriers of sodium bicarbonate supplementation in team sports",
abstract=" Sodium	bicarbonate	(SB)	ingestion	has	empirical	evidence	supporting	its	efficacy	for	improving	 team	sport	performance.	It	is	currently	unclear,	however,	if	SB	is	incorporated	into	nutritional	regimes	by	 practitioners.	This	study	aimed	to	investigate	existing	prevalence,	implementation,	and	barriers	of	SB	 supplementation	in	team	sports.	A cross-sectional,	observational	design	was	employed.	In	total,	66 practitioners	 (professional	experience:	7	±	5 years)	based	in	UK	or	USA	responded	to	an	online	survey.	Most	practitioners	 (n = 60;	91%)	were	aware	of	SB	being	used	as	an	ergogenic	aid,	which	was	predominately	attributed	to	 reputable	sources	(e.g.,	scientific	literature:	n = 35;	58%).	Prevalence	rates	were	low	(n = 20;	33%),	with	 a significant	difference	between	the	frequency	of	responses	for	practitioners	who	use	SB	(χ2 = 6.667,	p = 0.010).	 Concerns	about	gastrointestinal	(GI)	side-effects	after	SB	was	the	most	common	barrier	to	use	(n = 27;	65%),	 with	a significant	difference	between	the	frequency	of	responses	(χ2 = 43.875,	p \< 0.001)	compared	to	factors	 like	budget.	SB	is	frequently	prescribed	as	a 0.2–0.3 g//kg	body	mass	dose	(n = 12,	60%),	whilst	traditional	 administration	approaches	are	used	more	commonly	(n = 10;	50%)	than	novel	forms	such	as	topical	muscle	 lotion	(n = 4;	20%).	A translational	gap	exists	between	science	and	real-world	practice,	with	negative	connotations	 about	GI	side-effects	preventing	UK	and	USA	based	practitioners	from	using	SB	with	team	sports.	Future	work	 should	educate	practitioners	on	enteric	and	hydrogel	mini-tablet	designed	SB	that	alleviate	GI	side-effects. ",
author="Gurton, William
and Gough, Lewis
and Lynn, Anthony
and Ranchordas, Mayur K.",
pages="1523--1531",
doi="10.5114/biolsport.2026.156235",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2026.156235"
}