The Effects of Acute Sodium Bicarbonate Supplementation on Speed, Agility and VO2max Among University Badminton Players

Tan, Jun Hang (2025) The Effects of Acute Sodium Bicarbonate Supplementation on Speed, Agility and VO2max Among University Badminton Players. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

Text Tan Jun Hang _Full Text.pdf Restricted to Registered users only Download (3MB)

Abstract

This study used a double-blind, crossover design to investigate the acute effects of oral sodium bicarbonate (SB) supplementation against a placebo (sodium chloride) on metabolic and performance outcomes in university badminton players. Blood glucose and blood lactate levels were measured before and after exercise in both SB and placebo trials, and the AIR-BT test (VO₂max), on-court agility, and sevaluate the performance of the twelve individuals. 9 trained males, aged 20.3 ± 1.44 years old and 3 trained females 20.67 ± 1.5 completed this study. Blood samples were taken before and after exercise in order to measure BG and BL. A shuttle run (speed), an agility test on the court, and the AIR-BT protocol for VO₂max estimate (both level and VO₂max) were used to evaluate performance. To assess differences between conditions, descriptive statistics and repeated-measures ANOVA (or paired t-tests, if applicable) were employed. In contrast to a slight decline under placebo (5.5 → 5.4 mmol/L), SB caused a higher rise in BG (5.2 → 6.0 mmol/L), according to the data, which indicated a significant Condition × Time interaction for BG. On the other hand, BL increased significantly under both circumstances without any significant interaction, suggesting that there was no difference in the lactate response. In terms of performance, SB was linked to slower shuttle-run times (17.35 ± 1.25 vs 16.61 ± 0.79 s, p =.043) than placebo. Agility (16.29 ± 1.53 vs 16.10 ± 1.67 s, p =.688), AIR-BT level (6.81 ± 1.05 vs 6.53 ± 1.70, p =.522), and VO₂max estimate (42.04 ± 1.87 vs 41.65 ± 3.59 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹, p =.671). According to these results, SB can alter glucose metabolism during exercise, but under the testing conditions, it does not consistently improve lactate buildup, speed, agility, or VO₂max estimation. It follows that SB's metabolic advantages do not always result in improved performance in tasks requiring agility or shuttle running, and that its ergogenic effects might be task-specific.