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Many popular supplements nowadays contain Beta-Alanine, which is an amino acid and a beta isomer of the non-essential amino acid Alanine. The benefits of this amino acid could be beneficial for fitness and strength athletes as it can contribute to muscle endurance, allowing you to achieve more reps and sets as an athlete. In this article, we delve deeper into Beta-Alanine.
What is Beta-Alanine
Above, we described Beta-Alanine as a beta isomer of Alanine. Its function mainly lies in protein production because Alanine plays an important role in the body’s production of
proteins. Beta-Alanine is not used in protein production but is used for the synthesis of carnosine.
Carnosine is a dipeptide found in large quantities in muscle cells, where it has several important functions. For instance, carnosine is one of the main PH buffers and acts as an antioxidant. Additionally, carnosine helps increase calcium sensitivity, which is crucial for muscle contraction. Finally, carnosine also has a protective effect against oxidation and glycosylation. Glycosylation is the reaction of sugars with proteins. The body uses two amino acids, Histidine and Beta-Alanine, to produce carnosine. Consuming carnosine directly would not be well absorbed by digestion. Since Histidine is abundant, supplementation is sufficient to increase the amount of carnosine in the body.
How Beta-Alanine Works
During intense training, the body uses available ATP for energy supply. As a result of this activity, several byproducts such as hydrogen ions are produced. The production of hydrogen ions decreases the PH value in muscle cells, causing a burning sensation in the muscles. When there is enough carnosine in the muscles, the hydrogen ions are buffered, and the PH value in the muscle cells decreases less rapidly. This increases muscle endurance, allowing you to have more strength over a longer period.
So, in summary: through supplementation, the amount of carnosine in the muscles increases, delaying muscle cell acidification.
Various studies published on Ergogenics indicate that combining with
Creatine can significantly improve endurance.
Buying Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine works differently in different people. Trained men, for example, benefit more from beta-alanine than untrained men, who, according to one study, have no benefit from it at all.
The effect of beta-alanine also varies between women and men. Women naturally have less carnosine in their muscles than men. Supplementation with beta-alanine, which is then converted into carnosine, therefore has a relatively greater effect on the amount of carnosine in the muscles in women.
Carnosine levels also decrease as one gets older, typically from the age of 47. When you add this all up, you naturally come to the conclusion that older, trained women should benefit the most from beta-alanine.
Also, read the article: Beta Alanine works better for women
Research on Beta Alanine
Several studies have been conducted on the supplementation and effects of Beta-Alanine and carnosine. One of the most well-known studies was conducted on adult strength athletes who were monitored for 10 weeks during administration.
This was administered in amounts ranging from 4 to 6.5 grams per day. Subsequently, the muscles were tested for the amount of carnosine present. This study found that the subjects who received beta-alanine had significantly more carnosine in their muscles than the control group who received a placebo. This difference was nearly 60% higher after 4 weeks and over 80% higher after 10 weeks compared to the placebo group. It is important to note that anaerobic performance increased by 13% after 4 weeks and even by 16.3% after 10 weeks. And here too, the placebo group showed no improvement compared to the other group.
Another study looked at the effects of supplements on increasing
muscle strength and hormonal adjustments. Over a period of one month, a group of strength athletes received a dosage of 5 grams of beta-alanine. During this period, a strength training program was carried out consisting of 6 sets of 12 reps of squatting at 70% of the 1 Repetition Maximum. The subjects received a placebo.
After the one-month test period, it was found that the beta-alanine group could perform 22% more reps than the group that received the placebo. Furthermore, supplementation had no significant effects on hormone levels, such as
testosterone.
Dosage
The above studies indicate that an effective dosage of beta-alanine is around 3 to 6 grams per day. It is best to divide this into doses of about 500 – 1000 mg/milligram each time to somewhat prevent possible side effects. One of the most common side effects is tingling and a prickling sensation on the skin. When you start supplementation, realize that it may take a few weeks to reach maximum effectiveness.
Conclusion
Based on various studies conducted on the supplementation of beta-alanine alone or in combination with creatine, the effects seem to be positive. Unfortunately, there has been no research done on the effectiveness of this supplement in specific sports, but in strength sports, supplementation can have a positive effect. Due to delayed fatigue and acidification, strength athletes can achieve very positive results through the use of these supplements.
