Basilico
Florida
- Messages
- 948
I've been scouring through all the PEM-related threads discussing baking soda as an intervention to reduce PEM but I can't find the answer to a question I have.
When consuming sodium bicarbonate (which is basic), it will mix with stomach acids (which are acidic) to form a neutral substance. How does having a neutral pH in the stomach cause a 'mopping up' of excess lactic acid?
I could see this working if a sodium bicarbonate solution were being injected directly into the bloodstream, but since the baking soda gets neutralized in the stomach before it can reach the bloodstream, it seems like there is no way for it to do much of anything. Yet, people have been reporting benefits, so clearly something is happening.
None of the threads I read through have proposed a mechanism of action (unless I missed something, which is possible). It is simply stated that baking soda neutralizes lactic acid. How could this be possible?
I'm tagging @Hip because I know you've written extensively about this topic.
When consuming sodium bicarbonate (which is basic), it will mix with stomach acids (which are acidic) to form a neutral substance. How does having a neutral pH in the stomach cause a 'mopping up' of excess lactic acid?
I could see this working if a sodium bicarbonate solution were being injected directly into the bloodstream, but since the baking soda gets neutralized in the stomach before it can reach the bloodstream, it seems like there is no way for it to do much of anything. Yet, people have been reporting benefits, so clearly something is happening.
None of the threads I read through have proposed a mechanism of action (unless I missed something, which is possible). It is simply stated that baking soda neutralizes lactic acid. How could this be possible?
I'm tagging @Hip because I know you've written extensively about this topic.