Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
Baking soda works as an occasional antacid for heartburn, it can modestly boost performance in short, intense exercise, and it is a prescribed medicine for some people with chronic kidney disease, but that last use is for doctors to manage, not a home remedy. Taken carelessly it is risky: it is high in sodium, and very rarely has been linked to stomach rupture, including after a large meal.
For skin, face and hair there is no good evidence, and alkaline products can harm the skin barrier and roughen hair.
At a glance
Last reviewed 10 October 2026What it's used for
Evidence is rated per use. The same ingredient can be strong for one thing and traditional for another.
| Use | Evidence | What the research shows |
|---|---|---|
| Chronic kidney disease with acidosis (medical use only) | Moderate | A 2024 meta-analysis of 14 randomised trials in 2,037 people with chronic kidney disease and metabolic acidosis found sodium bicarbonate improved kidney function (standardised mean difference 0.33) and cut hospitalisation (odds ratio 0.37), but raised systolic blood pressure, and many trials were not double-blind. This is a prescribed treatment set by a kidney team, not something to start with kitchen baking soda.1 |
| Short, intense exercise performance | Moderate | A 2021 umbrella review of 8 meta-analyses judged that it acutely improves peak power, anaerobic capacity, events lasting about 45 seconds to 8 minutes, and muscle endurance, with mostly low to moderate certainty. A 2025 meta-analysis of 11 crossover trials in 126 people found a negligible, non-significant benefit for continuous running (standardised mean difference 0.18), with stomach symptoms in 29.5% of users versus 2.6% on placebo, though men only showed a small benefit (0.40).2,3 |
| Occasional heartburn and indigestion (antacid)Compare remedies for digestion →Compare remedies for acid reflux & heartburn → | Limited | Sodium bicarbonate is sold as an over-the-counter antacid for heartburn, sour stomach and acid indigestion. A 1999 pharmacology review says antacids are still used for minor heartburn, and gives no trial of baking soda itself. We did not open a randomised trial, so we rate it on review and label evidence only. The label limits use to 2 weeks.4,7 |
| Skin, face and bathsCompare remedies for skin → | Traditional | We found no trial showing baking soda improves skin. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel concluded sodium bicarbonate is safe in cosmetics at the concentrations and practices it reviewed, which includes bath and skin products, but that is a safety finding, not proof of benefit. Skin cleansing research finds that products which raise skin pH can harm barrier function, and that cleansers with a pH of 4.0 to 5.0 may be helpful. We found no sourced evidence on baking soda baths for itch.10,8 |
| Hair (baking soda shampoo)Compare remedies for hair & nails → | Traditional | We found no human study of baking soda on hair. A review of 123 shampoos argues that alkaline pH raises friction between fibres and may lead to cuticle damage and breakage, which is why acidic products are preferred. No pH figure for baking soda was in a source we read.9 |
How much
Ranges below are what studies used and what supplements commonly contain. They are not a recommendation for you. Start at the low end.
How people take it
Safety
Who should avoid
- A sodium-restricted diet — a ½ tsp dose has 716 mg of sodium; ask a doctor (label)
- A very full stomach — rare stomach rupture reported after bicarbonate and big meals
- Children under 12 — label says not to use
- Kidney disease — only as prescribed; blood pressure rose in trials
- Regular large doses — can cause metabolic alkalosis, low potassium and high sodium
- Your face and sensitive skin — pH-raising products can harm the skin barrier
Known interactions
Questions people ask
What are the benefits of baking soda?
As a swallowed antacid, it relieves occasional heartburn. It can modestly help short, intense exercise, and doctors prescribe it for some people with chronic kidney disease. For skin, hair and teeth whitening we found no good evidence.
Is baking soda safe to drink, and what are the side effects?
Occasionally and at label doses, yes for most adults. It is high in sodium, stomach symptoms are common in exercise trials (29.5% versus 2.6%), and large or repeated doses can cause severe metabolic alkalosis.
A review of 36 cases of spontaneous stomach rupture found bicarbonate ingestion associated with 10 of them, and two new cases followed bicarbonate antacids after a large meal; mortality in the series was 41.6%.
Is baking soda good for your face or skin?
We found no evidence it helps, and it is not advised on the face. Skin cleansing research says products that raise skin pH can harm the barrier and that a pH of 4.0 to 5.0 may be helpful, but no source we read gave baking soda's pH.
Does baking soda interact with other medicines?
It can: the label says antacids may interact with certain prescription drugs, and a review says all antacids can change gastric pH and so how other drugs dissolve, but that this can be avoided by spacing doses. We found no source giving a safe gap for baking soda specifically, so ask a pharmacist.
Make it yourself
DIY guides that use baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), with quantities, safety notes and an honest word on what they do.
Sources (10)
- Meta-analysis Yang TY, Lin HM, Wang HY, et al. Sodium Bicarbonate Treatment and Clinical Outcomes in Chronic Kidney Disease with Metabolic Acidosis: A Meta-Analysis. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2024.
- Umbrella review Grgic J, Grgic I, Del Coso J, Schoenfeld BJ, Pedisic Z. Effects of sodium bicarbonate supplementation on exercise performance: an umbrella review. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021.
- Meta-analysis Miller LE, Bhattacharyya R, Katz SJ, et al. Negligible benefit of oral single-dose sodium bicarbonate on continuous running performance: systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2025.
- Regulator label Essential Products (Dannso Corp). Sodium Bicarbonate Antacid (powder) drug label. DailyMed, US National Library of Medicine.
- Case series and review Han YJ, Roy S, Siau AMPL, Majid A. Binge-eating and sodium bicarbonate: a potent combination for gastric rupture in adults-two case reports and a review of literature. J Eat Disord. 2022.
- Case reports Fitzgibbons LJ, Snoey ER. Severe metabolic alkalosis due to baking soda ingestion: case reports of two patients with unsuspected antacid overdose. J Emerg Med. 1999.
- Review Maton PN, Burton ME. Antacids revisited: a review of their clinical pharmacology and recommended therapeutic use. Drugs. 1999.
- Review Blaak J, Staib P. The Relation of pH and Skin Cleansing. Curr Probl Dermatol. 2018.
- Review Gavazzoni Dias MF, de Almeida AM, Cecato PM, et al. The Shampoo pH can Affect the Hair: Myth or Reality? Int J Trichology. 2014.
- Safety assessment Fiume MM, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, et al. Re-Review Summary of Sodium Sesquicarbonate, Sodium Carbonate, and Sodium Bicarbonate as Used in Cosmetics. Int J Toxicol. 2025.
Last reviewed 10 October 2026 · Next review April 2027 · How we rate evidence
Reader notes
Experiences and questions from readers, read by an editor before they appear. They are personal accounts, not evidence, and are not medical advice.