Does Beta-alanine improve athletic performance?
Beta-alanine is a naturally occurring amino acid that has some potential benefits to athletes as it is involved as a rate-limiting precursor of carnosine and has been accepted has an effective physiological hydrogen ion (H+) buffer. In contrast, beta-alanine is not involved as a precursor of proteins. Carnosine is often used in ‘anti-aging’ supplements.
One recent study (Smith et al, 2009), found that high intensity interval training (HIIT) was effective and efficient in inducing significant aerobic improvements. The study authors concluded that beta-alanine supplementation may further enhance HIIT training by improving both endurance performance and lean body mass. The dose of beta-alanine in this particular study was 6 g per day for the first 3 weeks, then followed by 3g per day for the following three weeks.
An additional study (Hoffman et al, 2008) found that beta-alanine supplementation increased training volume and reduced subjective feelings of fatigue in college football players. The dosage of beta-alanine in this study was 4.5g per day.
[At high doses, beta-alanine can cause side effects including paraesthesias or a sensation of "pins and needles" in your limbs.]
References:
Smith AE, Walter AA, Graef JL, Kendall KL, Moon JR, Lockwood CM, Fukuda DH, Beck TW, Cramer JT, Stout JR. Effects of beta-alanine supplementation and high-intensity interval training on endurance performance and body composition in men; a double-blind trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2009 Feb 11;6:5.
Hoffman JR, Ratamess NA, Faigenbaum AD, Ross R, Kang J, Stout JR, Wise JA. Short-duration beta-alanine supplementation increases training volume and reduces subjective feelings of fatigue in college football players. Nutr Res. 2008 Jan;28(1):31-5.
How often beta-alanine is actually used by professional football players in the United States (i’m european)? Thanks. I will add your blog on my rss feeds.
I can recommend a creatine supplement that includes 1600 mg beta alanine. The supplement is intended as a body building muscle supplement to increase exercise intensity, training volume and lean muscle mass. It is manufactured by a reputable company of fitness professionals – they adhere to all the right FDA certification. It’s worth checking out.
TDS, that’s a very good question, unfortunately, I don’t have an answer regarding how many football players actually use beta-alanine.
Very informative blog post. I am a long-distance runner and recently tried a beta-alanine supplement after reading your blog post about a month ago.
Subjectively, I find that I recover quicker between workouts. I’ve also noticed that my endurance has improved since I started using this supplement.
Thanks for the information.
I love the beta alanine “tingles”. Although you don’t need to feel them for beta alanine to work, it kind of shows me when it’s starting to “hit” me, and then I need to get into the gym or get my swim started. Anyway great post