A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Investigation Into Acute Effects Of A Mg/K Preparation On Workload Metabolism

A preparation of 300 mg magnesium and 360 mg potassium (Magnesium Sport, Apomedica, Graz, Austria) was given orally to 12 subjects, 1 hour before physical exercise. 13 more subjects underwent the same regimen with placebo tablets. Before and after a 2,400-m run, in all participants, capillary blood was sampled and pH, pCO(2), and base excess was determined by a PhoxM device (Tecom, Wiener Neudorf, Austria). The test was performed in a double-blind manner. Group averages before and after the run were not significantly different between the placebo and the treatment group. However, the pCO(2) or base excess relation to pH values after the run were significantly different, meaning that pH and pCO(2) correlated negatively in the treatment group and positively in the placebo group. Moreover, base excess and pH correlations were significantly less steep in the treatment group. All this points towards less exertion in the treatment group, which could make subsequent workload more bearable or speed up recuperation.