While living in the Western Culture carries many wonderful benefits as it pertains to the availability and abundance of our choices of food. Conversely, the modern Western diet consists largely of acid-forming high-protein, high-fat, and high-cholesterol animal products and a lack of base-forming intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. The resulting metabolic acidosis is associated with diseases such as obesity, diabetes, systemic hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis.
In a study out of the Institute of Outdoor Sports and Environmental Science German Sports University Cologne, Mirjam Limmer investigated the influence of an alkalizing versus acidizing diet on 400-m sprint performance, blood lactate, blood gas parameters, and urinary pH in moderately trained adults.
It was concluded that a short-term alkalizing diet may improve 400-m performance time in moderately trained participants. Additionally, it was found that higher blood lactate concentrations under the alkalizing diet, suggest an enhanced blood or muscle buffer capacity. Thus, an alkalizing diet may be an easy and natural way to enhance 400-m sprint performance for athletes without the necessity of taking artificial dietary supplements.
When consuming an alkalizing diet, increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables and minimizing consumption of meats and grains is recommended. The higher energy demands and needs for dietary protein and carbohydrate sources may make it difficult to realize an alkalizing diet for athletes. Therefore to create an alkalizing diet while still consuming quality dietary proteins we recommend the additional use of mineral waters rich in bicarbonate to simplify the realization of an alkalizing diet while meeting the higher energy demands associated with training intensely toward anaerobic goals.
