Sodium Citrate (Trisodium)

Also called sodium citrate, trisodium citrate, citrate buffer, sodium citrate powder.

Best grade C across 8 graded outcomes Other Last checked Oct 21, 2026

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The short answer

From 13 sources

Sodium citrate is a buffering salt tested before hard exercise, usually at 0.5 g per kg of body weight. Small trials found faster 3,000 m and 5 km runs and better sprint and tennis scores, while trials in wrestlers, runners in the heat and CrossFit athletes found no gain. Gut upset is common, and a 189-study meta-analysis found sodium bicarbonate more effective.

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Nutricost Sodium Citrate Powder, 1 lb

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Label: Plain sodium citrate powder (the only ingredient).

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Every graded outcome on this page

8 rows · line = participants

Grade CExercise capacity and performance with buffering supplements (sodium citrate a minority)Exercise performancen 2,019
Grade DRepeated sprint performance in soccer playersSprint performancen 20
Grade D5 km running time in trained runnersRunningn 17
Grade DTennis skill and match performanceSport skilln 10
Grade D3,000 m running time in elite athletesRunningn 9
No effect5 km running time in a warm environmentRunningn 16
No effectUpper-body sprint power across four simulated wrestling matchesSprint performancen 11
No effect6 km cycling time trial in female CrossFit athletesCyclingn 10

Key facts

What it is: The sodium salt of citric acid; trials gave it as a drink or capsules 2 to 3 hours before exercise^3,6,11
Usual trial dose: 0.5 g per kg of body weight (500 mg/kg) in one dose; the range was 300 to 900 mg/kg^3,9,10
Positive trials: Faster 3,000 m (9 athletes) and 5 km (17 runners) times, more tennis games won (10 players), better repeated sprints (20 soccer players)^3,4,5,6
Null trials: No gain in 11 wrestlers, 16 runners in 32 °C heat or 10 female CrossFit athletes^7,8,9
Versus sodium bicarbonate: In a 189-study meta-analysis, sodium bicarbonate (192 outcomes) was more effective than sodium citrate (39 outcomes)²
Gut symptoms: More than placebo, and worse at 900 than 500 mg/kg; they peaked 80 to 90 minutes after a dose^10,11

What it is

Sodium citrate (trisodium citrate) is the sodium salt of citric acid; sports trials use it as a blood buffer before hard exercise.

How it works

Established

Sodium citrate raises blood bicarbonate and pH, adding buffering capacity against the acid that builds up in hard exercise. Trials consistently measured higher blood bicarbonate and post-exercise lactate; whether this turns into better performance varied by trial.^2,3,8,11

Forms

Form

The form on this page
Form	Elemental %	Absorption (human data)	GI tolerance	Studied for
Sodium citrate (trisodium citrate) powder or capsules	Varies³Not applicable; trial doses are grams of the salt per kg of body weight	Blood alkalosis peaked 180 to 212 minutes after a dose in one trial; in another, blood bicarbonate stayed at least 6 mmol/L above baseline from 180 to 240 minutes.^10,11	Gut symptoms were higher than placebo and worse at 900 than at 500 mg/kg; compared with 300 mg/kg sodium bicarbonate, the number and severity of symptoms did not differ.^10,11	Running, repeated sprints, tennis and wrestling performance

What the human research says

Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form line shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.

Trial map

8 graded outcomes, largest study first

8 graded outcomes: 5 improved, 3 no effect. The largest, a 2022 meta-analysis of 2,019 people on exercise capacity and performance with buffering supplements (sodium citrate a minority), found an improvement.

By sizeTable

1Exercise capacity and performance with buffering supplements (sodium citrate a minority)

Improved · Grade C · Meta-analysis, 2,019 people, 2022

189 studies of athletes and active people; 30 tested sodium citrate

Dose, result and source

Every graded outcome on this page, largest study first
Outcome	Found	People	Study	Who was studied
Exercise capacity and performance with buffering supplements (sodium citrate a minority)	Improved	2,019	Grade C · Meta-analysis, 2022	189 studies of athletes and active people; 30 tested sodium citrate
Repeated sprint performance in soccer players	Improved	20	Grade D · Crossover RCT, 2024	Male soccer players (mean age 20.9)
5 km running time in trained runners	Improved	17	Grade D · Crossover RCT, 2003	Well-trained male college runners
5 km running time in a warm environment	No effect	16	No-effect grade · Crossover RCT, 2015	Endurance-trained men not acclimated to heat, running at 32 °C
Upper-body sprint power across four simulated wrestling matches	No effect	11	No-effect grade · Crossover RCT, 2015	Trained wrestlers
Tennis skill and match performance	Improved	10	Grade D · Crossover RCT, 2019	Nationally ranked young male tennis players in Brazil (age 17)
6 km cycling time trial in female CrossFit athletes	No effect	10	No-effect grade · Crossover RCT, 2025	Trained female CrossFit athletes
3,000 m running time in elite athletes	Improved	9	Grade D · Crossover RCT, 2001	Elite multidisciplinary athletes (7 men, 2 women)

Every graded row

8 rows

Form tested

Showing 8 of 8 outcomes. Human trials only.

Grade CExercise capacity and performance with buffering supplements (sodium citrate a minority)Exercise performanceSmall effect for buffers overallMeta-analysis · 189 studies
n 2,019 · 2022

Improved Buffers as a group beat placebo (ES0.5 = 0.17, 95% CrI 0.12-0.21) and raised blood bicarbonate by 5.2 mmol/L; sodium bicarbonate (192 outcomes) was more effective than sodium citrate (39 outcomes).

Design: Meta-analysis, 189 studies, n = 2,019, 2022
Population: 189 studies of athletes and active people; 30 tested sodium citrate
Form: Sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate or lactate
Dose: Varied by study
Duration: Single doses up to multi-day loading
Source: Reference 2 · PubMed 34687438 (opens PubMed)

Grade DRepeated sprint performance in soccer playersSprint performanceLess fade across sprintsCrossover RCT
n 20 · 2024

Improved Minimum power output (p = 0.024) and sprint decrement score (p = 0.023) improved vs placebo; gut symptoms were higher at 30 (p = 0.003) and 60 minutes (p = 0.010) after the dose.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 20, 2024
Population: Male soccer players (mean age 20.9)
Form: Sodium citrate
Dose: 0.5 g per kg of body weight, 180 minutes before the test (placebo: sodium chloride)
Duration: Single dose
Source: Reference 6 · PubMed 38241467 (opens PubMed)

Grade D5 km running time in trained runnersRunningAbout 30 s faster over 5 kmCrossover RCT
n 17 · 2003

Improved The 5 km treadmill run took 1153.2 seconds after sodium citrate vs 1183.8 seconds after placebo (p = 0.01); post-run lactate was higher (11.9 vs 9.8 mmol/l).

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 17, 2003
Population: Well-trained male college runners
Form: Sodium citrate in 1 litre of solution
Dose: 0.5 g per kg of body weight, 2 hours before the run
Duration: Single dose
Source: Reference 3 · PubMed 14665584 (opens PubMed)

Grade DTennis skill and match performanceSport skillMore games wonCrossover RCT
n 10 · 2019

Improved After a 1-hour simulated match, shot consistency was 58.5% vs 40.4% with placebo (p < 0.01), and more games were won (8.0 vs 6.0, p < 0.001).

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 10, 2019
Population: Nationally ranked young male tennis players in Brazil (age 17)
Form: Sodium citrate capsules (500 mg each)
Dose: 0.5 g per kg of body weight, 2 hours before play
Duration: Single dose
Source: Reference 5 · PubMed 31370896 (opens PubMed)

Grade D3,000 m running time in elite athletesRunningAbout 11 s faster over 3,000 mCrossover RCT
n 9 · 2001

Improved 3,000 m time was faster with sodium citrate (610.9 vs 621.6 seconds, p < 0.05); the authors warned that the high potential for gut distress may rule it out for athletes.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 9, 2001
Population: Elite multidisciplinary athletes (7 men, 2 women)
Form: Sodium citrate
Dose: 0.5 g per kg of body weight (control: sodium chloride 0.1 g per kg)
Duration: Single dose
Source: Reference 4 · PubMed 11710409 (opens PubMed)

No effect5 km running time in a warm environmentRunningNo faster in the heatCrossover RCT
n 16 · 2015

No effect 5 km time was similar (18.92 vs 19.11 min, P > 0.05); sodium citrate caused water retention and higher body mass and plasma volume.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 16, 2015
Population: Endurance-trained men not acclimated to heat, running at 32 °C
Form: Sodium citrate
Dose: 500 mg per kg of body weight (placebo: wheat flour)
Duration: Single dose
Source: Reference 8 · PubMed 25471273 (opens PubMed)

No effectUpper-body sprint power across four simulated wrestling matchesSprint performanceNo power gainCrossover RCT
n 11 · 2015

No effect Blood bicarbonate and pH rose, and perceived exertion was lower (P = 0.028), but peak and mean power did not differ from placebo in any of the four tests.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 11, 2015
Population: Trained wrestlers
Form: Sodium citrate
Dose: 900 mg per kg of body weight within a 17-hour period
Duration: Single day
Source: Reference 7 · PubMed 25327884 (opens PubMed)

No effect6 km cycling time trial in female CrossFit athletesCyclingNo gain; bicarbonate betterCrossover RCT
n 10 · 2025

No effect Sodium citrate did not differ from placebo (mean difference 9.9 s, P = .94); sodium bicarbonate at the same dose was faster than sodium citrate by 11.6 s (P = .01).

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 10, 2025
Population: Trained female CrossFit athletes
Form: Enteric-coated sodium citrate capsules
Dose: 0.3 g per kg of body weight
Duration: Single dose
Source: Reference 9 · PubMed 40840560 (opens PubMed)

What the numbers add up to

Each point is worked out from the data and the sources numbered on this page, with the arithmetic shown under it. It adds no new data and is not medical advice.

More was not better

A dose-response trial found no extra blood alkalosis at 700 or 900 mg/kg than at 500 mg/kg, but more gut distress at 900 mg/kg.¹⁰

Wins came in short, hard efforts

Positive trials tested 3,000 m and 5 km runs, repeated sprints and tennis; the nulls included 5 km in 32 °C heat, wrestling-style arm sprints and 6 km cycling at a lower 0.3 g/kg dose.^{3,4,5,6,7,8,9}

Studied doses

Doses used in research, shown against the official limits. They describe the studies, not a recommendation for you.

Studied doses in research, not advice. These are amounts used in research, not personal advice. Your clinician or pharmacist can say what fits you.

Doses studied in human trials

Doses studied in human trials ranged from 300 mg per kg of body weight (enteric-coated capsules) to 900 mg per kg, mostly 500 mg per kg given once, 2 to 3 hours before exercise.^3,6,9,10

When trials measured an effect

1 outcome

How long trials ran before effects were measured
Outcome	Measured at	Basis
Blood bicarbonate rise (buffering)	From 120 to 240 minutes after a 0.5 g/kg drink: at least an 80% probability of a rise of 5 mmol/L or more	Repeat-visit study in 12 healthy men; individual time-to-peak was not reliable between visits¹³

Interactions and safety

Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.

What Sodium Citrate meets

1 cited row

Medicines 1

Sodium Citrate1 medicine · 0 supplements

Supplements and foods 0

No supplement rows in our sources.

Drug label or FDA notice

Interactions

1 agent

Published interactions, grouped by kind
Agent	What the source says	Evidence
Medicines1
Aluminum-based antacidse.g. aluminum hydroxide antacids	The prescription sodium citrate and citric acid solution label says it should not be given together with aluminum-based antacids.¹	Drug label

Check with what you take

Kept on this device only

Add what you take. We list every interaction our evidence profiles cite between Sodium Citrate and your picks, and between your picks.

Add a supplement or medicine

Most cited:

Add a supplement or medicine you take to check it against Sodium Citrate.

Starting from one medicine? The interaction checker rates how serious each pair is, on a curated list of 19 entries for 11 medicines. This cabinet has no severity rating: it lists every interaction row our supplement pages cite.

Who should be careful

5 groups

Sodium-restricted diets and kidney disease: The prescription sodium citrate and citric acid label lists sodium-restricted diets and severe kidney impairment as contraindications.¹
Heart failure, high blood pressure and swelling: The same label says sodium salts should be used cautiously with heart failure, high blood pressure, impaired kidney function, edema and toxemia of pregnancy.¹
Gut upset: Trials found more gut symptoms than placebo, worse at 900 than at 500 mg per kg.^10,6
Medicines and surgery: NCCIH advises that supplements may interact with medications or pose risks before surgery, and to tell your health care providers about everything you use.¹²
Pregnancy, breastfeeding and children: NCCIH notes that many dietary supplements have not been tested in pregnant women, nursing mothers or children.¹²

How to read the label

What to check on the Supplement Facts panel.

How to read the label

4 checks

Doses are per kilogram

Trials dosed by body weight, mostly 500 mg per kg, so a 70 kg adult in those trials would have swallowed about 35 g in one dose.^3,6

Check the sodium line

Sodium citrate is a sodium salt, and the prescription label restricts it on sodium-restricted diets, so the sodium per serving matters.¹

Enteric-coated capsules

The CrossFit trial used enteric-coated capsules at a lower 0.3 g per kg dose and found no performance gain, so a coated product is not a like-for-like swap for the 0.5 g per kg drinks in the positive trials.⁹

Mixing directions

The prescription sodium citrate and citric acid label directs diluting each dose well with water and preferably taking it after meals to avoid a saline laxative effect.¹

Where to buy Sodium Citrate (Trisodium)

Products from brands we partner with that contain Sodium Citrate (Trisodium). Check the amount per serving against the doses studied above, and the label for other ingredients.

Sodium Citrate (Trisodium) products from partner brands

1 product Paid links · we earn a commission

Quick pickHerbsProNutricost Sodium Citrate Powder, 1 lb
Plain sodium citrate powder (the only ingredient); the label lists 530 mg sodium per 2.5 g (1/2 tablespoon) serving. Trials dosed by body weight, mostly 500 mg per kg
$17.95one-timeChecked Oct 15, 2026
Shop at HerbsPro (paid link, opens in new tab)

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to common questions; the numbers link to the sources below.

Common questions

8 answers

Does sodium citrate improve exercise performance?

Small trials found faster 3,000 m and 5 km runs and better sprint and tennis results, but trials in wrestlers, runners in the heat and female CrossFit athletes found no gain. A 189-study meta-analysis found sodium bicarbonate more effective.^{2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}

Does sodium citrate upset the stomach?

Often. Gut symptoms were higher than placebo in two trials and worse at 900 than at 500 mg per kg; one soccer trial saw them settle by 90 minutes after the dose.^6,10

How much sodium citrate was used in studies?

Most trials gave 500 mg per kg of body weight once, 2 to 3 hours before exercise; the range ran from 300 to 900 mg per kg.^3,6,9,10

How long before exercise was sodium citrate taken?

Trials gave it 2 to 3 hours before exercise. In a repeat-visit study of 12 men, a 0.5 g/kg drink had at least an 80% chance of raising blood bicarbonate by 5 mmol/L or more between 120 and 240 minutes, but each person's peak time varied between visits.^3,6,13

Does sodium citrate interact with medicines?

The prescription sodium citrate and citric acid label says it should not be given together with aluminum-based antacids. NCCIH advises telling your health care providers about all supplements because some interact with medicines.^1,12

Is sodium citrate safe in pregnancy or breastfeeding?

No performance trial included pregnant or breastfeeding women. The prescription label urges caution with sodium salts in toxemia of pregnancy, and NCCIH notes many supplements have not been tested in these groups.^1,12

Sodium citrate or sodium bicarbonate?

In 16 adults, 500 mg/kg sodium citrate and 300 mg/kg sodium bicarbonate raised blood bicarbonate about equally (peak 34.2 vs 33.6 mmol/L) with similar gut symptoms, but citrate peaked later. Bicarbonate did better for performance in a meta-analysis and a CrossFit trial.^11,2,9

Who should avoid sodium citrate?

The prescription sodium citrate and citric acid label lists sodium-restricted diets and severe kidney impairment as contraindications and urges caution with heart failure, high blood pressure and edema.¹

Sources

13 sources: trial abstracts, NIH fact sheets and reference databases. Numbers in the text link here.

Sources cited on this page

13 sources

1Sodium Citrate and Citric Acid Oral Solution USP (Cardinal Health 107, LLC): prescribing labelLabel DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2026 · dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
2Extracellular Buffering Supplements to Improve Exercise Capacity and Performance: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Meta-analysis Sports Med, 2022 · PMID 34687438
3Effects of sodium citrate ingestion before exercise on endurance performance in well trained college runners.Crossover RCT Br J Sports Med, 2003 · PMID 14665584
4The effects of sodium citrate ingestion on 3,000-meter time-trial performance.Crossover RCT J Strength Cond Res, 2001 · PMID 11710409
5Sodium citrate supplementation enhances tennis skill performance: a crossover, placebo-controlled, double blind study.Crossover RCT J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2019 · PMID 31370896
6Effect of Pre-exercise Sodium Citrate Ingestion on Repeated Sprint Performance in Soccer Players.Crossover RCT J Strength Cond Res, 2024 · PMID 38241467
7Dietary sodium citrate supplementation does not improve upper-body anaerobic performance in trained wrestlers in simulated competition-day conditions.Crossover RCT Eur J Appl Physiol, 2015 · PMID 25327884
8Impact of acute sodium citrate ingestion on endurance running performance in a warm environment.Crossover RCT Eur J Appl Physiol, 2015 · PMID 25471273
9Individual and Combined Effects of Sodium Bicarbonate and Sodium Citrate Supplementation on High-Intensity Exercise Performance in Highly Trained Female CrossFit Athletes.Crossover RCT Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 2025 · PMID 40840560
10Induced Alkalosis and Gastrointestinal Symptoms After Sodium Citrate Ingestion: a Dose-Response Investigation.Crossover RCT Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2016 · PMID 27098485
11A Comparison of Sodium Citrate and Sodium Bicarbonate Ingestion: Blood Alkalosis and Gastrointestinal Symptoms.Crossover RCT Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2023 · PMID 36109008
12Using Dietary Supplements WiselyFact sheet National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), 2019 · nccih.nih.gov
13Intra-individual reliability of blood bicarbonate responses and gastrointestinal symptoms following sodium citrate supplementation.PK study J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2026 · PMID 41661559

What changed

Every dated change to this page: what changed, who made it and why.

Change log

2 entries

Dated changes to this page
Date	Change	Who and why
Oct 21, 2026time to effect, label guide, FAQ	Searched PubMed for 2023–2026 sodium citrate exercise trials and meta-analyses: none newer than the rows already cited. Added a 2026 repeat-visit study of blood bicarbonate timing (PMID 41661559) as a time-to-effect note; two label-guide steps (enteric-coated capsules, mixing directions from the prescription label); three FAQs on timing, interactions and pregnancy. Fact-checked against the sources; corrected: label guide now names the sodium citrate and citric acid label.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: A–Z page audit
Oct 15, 2026all	Initial editorial evidence review. Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (title, year, journal; none retracted) and each cited abstract read; numbers taken from the abstracts. Funding disclosed per study: FAPESP and Polish National Science Centre (2022 meta-analysis), FAPESP (tennis), Hacettepe University (soccer); other abstracts name no funder (disclosed as not stated). Nulls shown: wrestlers 2015, heat 2015, CrossFit 2025. Safety from the DailyMed prescribing label for sodium citrate and citric acid oral solution (sodium-restricted diets, kidney impairment, aluminum antacids) plus NCCIH general guidance. Where to buy: Nutricost Sodium Citrate Powder (checked 2026-10-15).	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: new page

Supplement & Nutrient Encyclopedia. Educational information only; it is not medical advice and does not replace a clinician. Dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Statements about supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

Sodium Citrate (Trisodium)

Nutricost Sodium Citrate Powder, 1 lb

Medicines 1

Supplements and foods 0

Aluminum-based antacids