Beta-alanine has become one of the most popular sports nutrition supplements during the last ten years. It has been shown to improve athletic performance and overall health. Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid that the body produces on its own. It is not needed by your body to make proteins, unlike other amino acids. Instead, together with histidine, it produces carnosine. a compound that improves muscle endurance during high-intensity exercise by reducing lactic acid accumulation in the muscle.
Higher levels of carnosine help muscles work for extended periods before becoming tired. Carnosine achieves this by assisting in the regulation of acid accumulation in the muscles, which is a major cause of tiredness. One of carnosine’s primary components is beta-alanine. Supplementing with beta-alanine is supposed to increase carnosine synthesis, which improves athletic performance. Beta-alanine doses of 4 to 6 grams per day have been reported to enhance muscle carnosine concentrations by up to 64% after four weeks and up to 80% after ten weeks.
Based on studies, beta-alanine can help you extend your time to exhaustion (TTE) by allowing you to work out for longer periods. A study of cyclists discovered that four weeks of supplements boosted overall effort accomplished by 13%, with an extra 3.2 percent after ten weeks. Based on the existing evidence, it is possible to conclude that beta-alanine supplementation has a considerable ergogenic effect on high-intensity exercise, particularly in exercise capacity tests and measurements, and where the exercise lasts between 1 and 4 minutes.
Carnosine’s physiological potential goes much beyond this. Some research has suggested that carnosine act as an antioxidant by scavenging free radicals and singlet oxygen, lowering oxidative stress. Carnosine can lower oxidative stress even more by chelating transition metals like copper and iron. This prevents certain transition metals from interacting with peroxides in the Fenton reaction, which produces free radicals.
According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition’s findings: Beta-alanine supplementation (4–6 grams daily) for four weeks increases muscle carnosine concentrations considerably, acting as an intracellular pH buffer. Supplementing with 4–6 grams of beta-alanine daily for at least 2–4 weeks has been demonstrated to improve exercise performance, with more obvious effects in open end-point tasks/time trials lasting 1–4 minutes. When the intake of beta-alanine is high enough (4–6 grams daily) and long enough, combining it with other single or multi-ingredient supplements may be beneficial.
When taken properly for a short period, beta-alanine is safe. Moderate doses of beta-alanine have not been linked to any adverse effects. Flushing and tingling may occur with high doses.
