Baking Soda Weight Loss Trend: Is It Worth Trying?

Social media users are claiming that drinking baking soda in water is a magic weight loss hack, but experts aren’t so sure.

Another day, another allegedly magical weight loss hack touted by social media users.

Online platforms are brimming with claims about quick and easy ways to lose weight, and the latest involves diluting baking soda in water and drinking it.

On TikTok, social media users claim that drinking sodium bicarbonate — baking soda — daily has helped reduce their appetite, shed unwanted pounds, and reduce cellulite.

But much like other social media weight loss trends, experts say any hack that seems too good to be true, probably is.

Does drinking baking soda for weight loss work?

Social media users claim that baking soda aids weight loss by helping the body break down fat due to its alkaline nature and ability to neutralize stomach acids. The theory is that by increasing the body's pH levels and making it more alkaline, fat storage efficiency and metabolism are enhanced by influencing enzyme activity and insulin sensitivity.

But there is no evidence to suggest that it can actually impact body fat in any way.

“Drinking baking soda in water for weight loss is a popular claim on TikTok, but there is limited scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness,” says Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, a preventive cardiology dietitian at EntirelyNourished.com.

While baking soda's alkaline nature may temporarily increase feelings of fullness, Routhenstein says it does not directly lead to weight loss.

Naysha Isom, M.D., a board-certified physician specializing in preventive health and sustainable weight loss, likewise tells Healthnews that this claim remains entirely theoretical.

“Unlike controlled laboratory conditions, the human body tightly regulates its pH, making it unlikely that consuming baking soda would significantly impact weight loss,” she says. “This concept isn’t any different than drinking commercially available alkaline water found in most grocery stores.”

Plus, she says ingesting baking soda can cause temporary water retention, bloating, and gas, which some may mistake for appetite suppression. But these perceived feelings of fullness are not actually a sustainable method to suppress one’s appetite, she says.

Is drinking baking soda harmful?

In addition to the lack of evidence supporting baking soda’s ability to promote weight loss, Routhenstein and Isom say this trend also presents health risks.

“People should take extreme caution with online weight loss trends, especially if they have heart disease, are taking certain medications, or have medical conditions, as these claims often lack scientific validation, may interact with prescribed medications, and may overlook individual health conditions,” Routhenstein says. “Potential negative health issues from doing this include electrolyte imbalances, high blood pressure, and digestive problems due to its high sodium content.”

Baking soda’s high sodium content can also reduce the effectiveness of antihypertensive drugs, she says — such as ACE inhibitors and diuretics — by increasing blood pressure or causing fluid retention.

Sodium bicarbonate can also impact the efficacy of blood thinners by altering the body’s acid-base balance and potentially leading to increased bleeding risk, Routhenstein explains.

And excessive sodium intake from baking soda can negatively affect heart health by increasing blood pressure and straining the cardiovascular system, she adds.

Using baking soda with other antacids or proton pump inhibitors can also lead to excessive alkalinity, potentially causing metabolic alkalosis or diminishing the effectiveness of the other antacids.

Anyone who consumes too much baking soda can potentially disturb their body's pH balance, leading to metabolic alkalosis, Isom adds. Symptoms of metabolic alkalosis include nausea, vomiting, muscle twitching, and confusion.

Overconsuming it can also disrupt essential electrolyte levels, she says, including potassium, calcium, and chloride — which are critical for proper muscle, heart, kidney, and brain function.

“Online weight loss trends often promise quick fixes and are enticing due to their perceived affordability, convenience, and availability of products or supplies,” Isom concludes. “However, these trends seldom deliver sustainable results.”