Life past 65: What’s the baking soda trick for ED and is it safe?

Life past 65: What’s the baking soda trick for ED and is it safe?

Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects up to 50 percent of men over 65. With concerns about side effects, cost or interactions from prescription drugs, many search online for home remedies. One that pops up is the “baking soda trick for men.” Here’s what it is, what the science says, and whether it’s worth trying.

What is the “baking soda trick”?
• You dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in water and drink it before sexual activity.
• The idea: raising blood pH (making you more alkaline) improves blood flow to the penis, boosting erections.
• It’s cheap, accessible, and based on the general use of bicarbonate as an “antacid” or exercise aid.

What does the science say?
• Acute alkalosis and performance (Carr AJ, Hopkins WG & Gore CJ, 2012): a meta-analysis showed sodium bicarbonate can boost short, high-intensity exercise (1–7 minutes), likely by buffering lactic acid in muscles.
– No studies have tested baking soda for sexual performance or ED.
– Blood pH is tightly regulated by your kidneys and lungs; a single dose of baking soda has only transient, mild effects.
• ED pathophysiology (Burnett AL et al., 2018 AUA guideline): ED often stems from vascular disease, diabetes, hormonal issues, nerve damage or medications—not simply pH imbalances.
– First-line treatments remain lifestyle changes and PDE5 inhibitors (sildenafil, tadalafil).
• Liver disease and alkali (EASL, 2018): in decompensated liver disease, excess bicarbonate can worsen fluid retention and electrolyte imbalances. While most men over 65 don’t have severe liver disease, it illustrates that baking soda isn’t risk-free.

Potential benefits (anecdotal)
• Low cost and easy access—no prescription needed.
• Some men report feeling more “energized” or less bloated before activity.
• Baking soda has a long history as an antacid; short-term use in healthy people rarely causes serious harm.

Possible risks and side effects
• High sodium load: a teaspoon of baking soda has ~1,260 mg of sodium—more than half the recommended daily limit. This can raise blood pressure, worsen heart failure or kidney disease, and increase stroke risk.
• Gastrointestinal discomfort: gas, bloating, nausea or stomach cramps are common.
• Metabolic alkalosis: overuse can tip your blood pH too far, causing muscle twitching, irritability, hand tremors and even cardiac arrhythmias in severe cases.
• Interaction with medications: antacids can interfere with absorption of some antibiotics, heart medications and thyroid drugs.

Practical considerations
• If you have high blood pressure, heart or kidney disease, diabetes or are on a low-sodium diet, baking soda could do more harm than good.
• No standard dosing or timing exists for ED; most advice online is purely anecdotal.
• Any benefit is likely placebo or mild, short-lived.

Safe, effective alternatives for ED
• Lifestyle changes:

• Quit smoking, limit alcohol, lose weight, control blood sugar
• Regular aerobic exercise improves endothelial function
  • FDA-approved treatments:
• PDE5 inhibitors (sildenafil, tadalafil) are well-studied, with known safety profiles
• Vacuum erection devices, penile injections or suppositories, and implants in select cases
  • Address underlying issues:
• Check testosterone levels, review medications that may impair erections
• Manage stress, anxiety or depression with counseling or therapy

Next steps if you have ED
• Consider a free, online symptom check for ED to identify possible causes and urgency of your condition:
symptom check for ED
• Keep a log of your symptoms, medications, health conditions and any home remedies you try.
• Speak to a doctor about anything that could be life-threatening or serious—especially if you have chest pain, sudden vision changes or an erection lasting more than four hours (priapism).

Bottom line
The “baking soda trick for men” is a low-cost, low-evidence home remedy for ED. While brief, mild alkalosis may help certain athletes, there’s no clinical data supporting it for improving erections. The high sodium content and potential side effects make regular use risky, especially in men with cardiovascular or kidney issues. Instead of relying on unproven hacks, focus on lifestyle changes, FDA-approved treatments and proper medical evaluation to address erectile dysfunction safely and effectively.