| Something is up in the world of endurance sports. In the past month, two different men set world records for the indoor mile, while US runner Grant Fisher set best-ever marks for both the 3,000 and 5,000 meters. Asked what's fueling such performances, Fisher cited, among other things, a humble ingredient found in most people's kitchen: sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda. "I think it makes an impact," he said on Feb. 14, after completing the 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) track race in 12 minutes, 44 seconds. "If that impact is 1%, that'd be massive." For Olympic athletes, even miniscule gains are a huge deal, hence the ever-present problem with doping. There are four or five legal supplements with a decent body of scientific research behind them suggesting they can help performance, says Jason Siegler, a professor for exercise science at Arizona State University. One is caffeine, which you can take before a race to help blunt the pain. In theory, sodium-bicarbonate has similar promise. Whenever you push your body to the limit, it produces lactate, which floods your blood with hydrogen ions — protons — that limit your performance by contributing to the burning muscle sensation. In response, your kidney naturally produces bicarbonate, whose negative charge allows it to buffer away the protons—at least, to a point. But what if you ate heaps of sodium-bicarbonate before exercising? Would your system buffer away even more protons? While athletes have experimented with this for decades, they've often struggled with an unpleasant side effect. Bicarbonate in your stomach causes a buildup of carbon dioxide, which can bring about experiences you want to avoid in a race: cramps, say, or the sudden need to sprint to a toilet. Today, though, sports nutrition companies are marketing products designed to get around that problem. One is Utah-based Momentous, which sells a lotion that it claims delivers bicarbonate straight to your muscles (a $35 bottle is good for 10 workouts, it says). Another company that's really causing waves in the endurance world is Maurten, a Swedish startup that in 2023 introduced its "Bicarb System." The approach is to coat the bicarbonate in Maurten's proprietary "hydrogel" structure, which it says allows the payload to reach your intestines before dissolving (a four-dose shipment costs $70). Of course, there are other explanations for the recent rash of world records, from better shoe technology to new training methods. All of those factors matter, says Herman Reuterswärd, a Maurten spokesman. Before athletes should expect to gain much from his company's product, they should first maximize other aspects of their preparation: from training to diet to sleep habits, he says. At that point, bicarb can serve as a "cherry on top," he says. Of course, it may not taste as good. — Tim Loh | 
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