Can Drinking Baking Soda Help You Lose Weight?

Drinking water mixed with baking soda may produce small, indirect effects on losing weight, but overconsumption can lead to adverse reactions.

Baking soda is famous for many household uses — from freshening refrigerators to brightening teeth. Recently, it has also been promoted as a potential weight-loss aid.

Some people recommend dissolving baking soda in water, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice and drinking it on an empty stomach to trim extra pounds. Others advocate taking baking-soda-infused baths.

This article examines whether baking soda actually contributes to weight reduction and outlines the possible dangers of ingesting baking soda mixtures.

What does the research say about baking soda and weight loss?

There are numerous assertions that baking soda combined with water, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice is particularly effective for reducing body fat. Nevertheless, scientific support for these claims is scarce.

Debunking popular claims and theories

Baking soda is often claimed to have alkalizing effects on the body that supposedly encourage weight loss or prevent weight gain. However, this concept has been refuted repeatedly.

Your body maintains tightly controlled mechanisms to keep pH within a narrow range, and dietary choices have minimal lasting impact on these levels.

Another idea suggests that soaking in baking-soda-containing water replenishes magnesium and sulfate, nutrients said to speed metabolism and flush out toxins. This hypothesis also lacks scientific backing.

That said, baking soda may ease an upset stomach because it can neutralize stomach acid.

This neutralization produces carbon dioxide gas, which can cause belching. While this might briefly make your stomach feel lighter, it does not directly reduce body fat.

Minor, indirect effects may be possible

Any modest weight-related effects from baking soda are likely indirect and largely depend on the liquid it’s mixed with.

One common practice is blending baking soda with apple cider vinegar — a liquid that a 2014 study found might decrease appetite. Still, robust recent evidence supporting apple cider vinegar for weight loss is limited.

People often dissolve baking soda in water, alone or together with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.

Consuming these beverages regularly can increase total daily fluid intake. Enhanced hydration may improve hydration status, an effect that research suggests could curb appetite, modestly raise metabolic rate, and support fat loss.

It’s important to recognize that these potential benefits are linked more to the fluids consumed than to baking soda itself. Adding baking soda seems to add little additional value.

Preparation methods

There are three common ways people incorporate baking soda into routines.

One method is to dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 1–2 cups (240–480 mL) of water and drink it on an empty stomach at a convenient time.

Another approach mixes 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. After the fizzing subsides, dilute the mixture with water and drink it on an empty stomach.

Dilution is important to prevent throat irritation or erosion of tooth enamel, since the exact acidity of homemade mixes is variable.

An alternative is to add 3–4 cups (662–883 grams) of baking soda to a bathtub filled with water for a soak instead of ingesting it.

Note that none of these preparation techniques are proven safe or effective by scientific studies, so proceed with caution.

Is it safe?

Excessive consumption of baking soda is linked to a variety of side effects.

Metabolic alkalosis

Ingesting large quantities of baking soda can be hazardous, potentially causing metabolic alkalosis, a life-threatening disorder in which the body can’t regulate blood pH.

Metabolic alkalosis can arise from excessive intake of alkaline substances like baking soda and may lead to muscle weakness, cramps, abnormal heart rhythms, and changes in mental status. If untreated, it can be fatal.

High blood pressure and other health effects

Baking soda contains a lot of sodium. High consumption can promote fluid retention or heart failure in susceptible individuals. Those with alcohol use disorder or impaired kidney function should be particularly cautious.

Baking soda can also trigger breathing problems and seizures in young children, so it should not be given to children under 5. Pregnant or breastfeeding people may also want to avoid it.

Mixing baking soda with an acid like apple cider vinegar or lemon juice releases carbon dioxide gas, which can cause bloating or gas, especially if consumed before the fizz fully dissipates.

Medication interactions and long-term safety

Baking soda can interact with certain medications. Anyone on prescription drugs should consult a healthcare provider before adding baking soda to their diet.

There is also little data on the long-term safety of ingesting baking soda alone or combined with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Until more research is available, avoiding these mixtures may be the safest option.

Soaking in a baking-soda bath is likely safer than drinking it, but studies assessing risks and benefits of bathing in baking soda are lacking.

The bottom line

Baking soda is promoted as a weight-loss aid, but there is no credible scientific evidence to support this claim.

Drinking large amounts of baking soda diluted in water, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice carries multiple potential health risks, and the long-term safety of these concoctions is unknown.

For now, it’s probably wiser to avoid ingesting such mixtures until more reliable research is available.