Buffering agents

M

micmic

New Member
I've been recently using a combination of buffering agents to deal with the reportedly harmful metabolic acidosis. It's a powder (40% potassium citrate, 40% sodium citrate, 20% citric acid) and is usually prescribed to make urine more alkaline and prevent uric acid stones. I should have probably tried it during the 15s to see whether it would have had any effects on lactic acid... oh well...

Is anyone else using buffers ? Any experiences with other commonly used buffers (magnesium citrate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, calcium citrate) ?
 
All I can say is be careful with the sodium bicarbonate. Too much and you'll spend more time on the toilette working your wiping muscles!
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I'm using the exact same mix as you minus the citric acid. Can you explain to me what's it's role in it? Does it also work as a buffer? I can get easy at my local pharmacy.

I can't say I felt anything amazing from buffering minerals but at least my urine's PH is now at more reasonable levels. Anyway, the benefits will be long/medium term won't they?
 
No, citric acid does not alkalize the urine. It is an acid, so had it be taken alone it would decrease the pH. I guess it's there to increase solubility in water, stabilize the aqueous solution and perhaps make it more palatable.

There are some studies showing a short-term benefit after ingestion of buffering agents. Others show no marked improvement. But I'd like to test it during the first workouts of the 15s, there should be considerably less lactic acid effects there.
 
I asked this before, but no one seemed to know...

Do you really want less lactic acid effects during the 15s? I mean isn't that the purpose of the 15s?
 
Well, yes. I was thinking the 15s as a way to test the effectiveness of buffering agents supplementation and find an optimal dosing scheme. In the long term I would probably take buffering agents every day except for the 2 weeks of 5RM + dropsets. I would strive to maximize lactic acid effects there and induce as much hypertrophy as possible.

But there are also studies showing that chronic metabolic acidocis can have deleterious effects to muscle (decreased IGF-1, increased cortisol, etc.). I guess that if I had to choose between the two I would decide that the anticatabolic effects of buffering agents are more important than the anabolic effects of lactic acid. But we can probably overlook that for the two weeks of 5RM+dropsets.
 
One thing that I've found in my frequent pissings into my fish tank PH test solution is that the buffering effect is very quick and short lived. If I take in the morning at night my urine will be below five. My evening dose usually has an effect that lasts till the morning though.
 
restless,

PH below five?? Thats very acidic, IMO!

What dosage are you guys using?

It has been a headache trying to locate potassium citrate or bicarbonate. 1fast400 has it in potassium gluconate and it isnt what i want.

The local health supplement store has it in 99mg tablets but considering the gram dosage needed, i will need to take a boatload of tablets!
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Spencer @ May 26 2003,6:12)]restless,
PH below five?? Thats very acidic, IMO!
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Actually from what I've seen I think it's considered normal. I struggle to keep it above 6 and it stays there most of the time. The PH test scale ends at 6 so I'm kind of guessing but based in the color progression it should be around five.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]What dosage are you guys using?
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I'm using around 5 gr of combined potassium and sodium citrate twice a day, plus magnesium chloride and calcium carbonate but these last two for other reasons.


[b said:
Quote[/b] ]It has been a headache trying to locate potassium citrate or bicarbonate. 1fast400 has it in potassium gluconate and it isnt what i want.
The local health supplement store has it in 99mg tablets but considering the gram dosage needed, i will need to take a boatload of tablets!
Click to expand...

I went to the local pharmacy and there's one guy there that sells me stuff in poder form, not prescription items but ascorbic acid, etc....They usually don't do this but at least here in Europe if you go to the places that supply pharmacies (which usually are pharmacies) they sell this kind of stuff very cheap, comparing to pills at least.
 
I take 20gr of the above mixture 1-2 hours before workouts with 500-1000ml water.

All buffers are ridiculously cheap in chemicals stores and pharmacies.
 
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