Beta-Alanine: Science
Meets Real World Results
By Sebastian
Balcombe, BSE, Ash Batheja, MPT,
CSCS, and Anssi Manninen, MHS
With literally hundreds of different
supplements available and so
many that are based on bogus
claims and ridiculous hype,
it’s a challenge to find even
one that delivers results. If
you’ve rummaged through the garbage
of the supplement scrap heap,
you know how difficult it is
to find solid science or real-world
proof.
Beta-alanine is an exception.
This supplement actually lives
up to its claims beta-alanine
efficacy is backed by major university,
peer-reviewed studies performed
on humans, not the typical
cell or rat studies upon which
many supplement manufacturers
generally base claims. The science
behind beta-alanine makes sense
and it works. In reading this
article, you will understand
how beta-alanine works. You will
also learn how to maximize its
use and how it can help you safely
work out much harder and longer.
Used properly, beta-alanine can
take your training and results
to new levels, helping you set
personal records and add lean
mass.
Below is a list of the benefits
of beta-alanine. Next, you will
find the supporting details that
set beta-alanine apart from the
many other ineffective supplements
that rely on clever marketing
jargon and pseudoscience to confuse
you.
Benefits of Beta-Alanine
as supported by Scientific
Studies
- Boosts explosive
muscular strength and power
output
- Increases lean
muscle mass
- Boosts muscular
anaerobic endurance
- Increases aerobic
endurance
- Increases exercise
capacity so you can train
harder and longer
History of Beta-Alanine
Although only recently brought
to the forefront, beta-alanine
was discovered over 100 years
ago. Also known as 3-aminopropanoic
acid, it is a non-essential amino
acid and is the only naturally
occurring beta-amino acid. Not
to be confused with alanine,
beta- alanine is classified as
a non-proteinogenic amino acid
as it is not used in the building
of proteins.
The greatest natural dietary
sources of beta-alanine are believed
to be obtained through ingesting
the beta-alanine containing dipeptides:
carnosine, anserine and balenine,
rather than directly ingesting
beta-alanine. These dipeptides
are commonly found in protein
rich foods such as chicken, beef,
pork and fish. However, obtaining
beta-alanine through these dipeptides
is not the only way, as our bodies
can synthesize it in the liver
from the catabolism of pyrimidine
nucleotides which are broken
down into uracil and thymine
and then metabolized into beta-alanine
and B-aminoisobutyrate. Of course,
it can also be ingested through
direct supplementation which
is the focus of this article.
Recently, researchers began
studying beta-alanine and examining
its effects on exercise performance
and lean body mass. We owe a
great deal of credit and respect
to the scientists who are in
the trenches doing the work and
publishing the research on beta-alanine.
If it wasn’t for them, great
supplements like beta-alanine
and creatine might never have
seen the light of day. Their
ongoing research has revealed
how to properly use these compounds
and how to safely and effectively
maximize their benefits.
One of the key scientists pioneering
the performance research on beta-alanine
is Dr. Roger Harris. His name
may or may not sound familiar,
but it should, as he is the same
man that brought creatine to
the bodybuilding world with his
groundbreaking study in 1992.
It looks like the good doctor
has found another juggernaut
of a supplement in beta-alanine.
However, he is not alone. In
the last two years, highly respected
research scientist Dr.Jeffrey
Stout has been in a frenzy publishing
and compiling research on beta-alanine
and doesn’t look to be slowing
down any time soon. Other notable
researchers who have been publishing
research on beta-alanine include
Dr. Hill, Dr. Kim and Dr. Tallon.
How Does Beta-Alanine
Work?
The support of high caliber
researchers speaks volumes about
the efficacy of beta-alanine
and the science itself is even
more impressive. Much of beta-alanine’s
effects are realized by boosting
the synthesis of carnosine,
a dipeptide (two amino acids)
intracellular (inside the cell)
buffer. To understand how beta-alanine
works, you must first understand
its connection to carnosine.
It is by boosting carnosine levels
that beta-alanine exerts its
performance benefits.
History and Background
of Carnosine
The Russian scientist Gulewitsch
was the first to identify carnosine
in 1900. Eleven years later,
he would discover and identify
its constituent amino acids,
beta-alanine and histidine. Seven
years later, Barger and Tutin
and Baumann and Ingvaldsen confirmed
Gulewitsch’s findings. However,
it wasn’t until 1938 that the
first research on carnosine and
its effects on muscle buffering
were published.
Carnosine is found in both type
1 and type 2 muscle fibers, though
in significantly higher concentrations
in type 2 fibers (the fibers
we primarily use in high intensity
strength workouts and which are
most responsive to growth). Before
we discuss how carnosine works,
you must first have a general
understanding of what is physiologically
occurring during exercise. Specifically,
what is negatively affecting
muscular pH, making us weaker
and causing fatigue?
Hydrogen Ions are Released
During Exercise, Causing Performance
to Plummet
When we exercise, especially
when it’s high intensity exercise,
our bodies accumulate a large
amount of hydrogen ions (H+),
causing our muscles’ pH to drop
(become more acidic). This process
is occurring whether you feel
a burn or not.
The breakdown of ATP and the
subsequent rise in H+ concentrations
occur in all of our energy systems
but H+ buildup is most prevalent
in an energy system called glycolysis,
which also produces lactic acid.
At physiological pH, lactic acid
dissociates H+ and is the primary
source of released H+ ions during
exercise, causing pH to drop.
It is the released H+ from lactic
acid that causes muscular performance
problems, not the leftover lactate
ions as many incorrectly believe.
While lactic acid is the primary
source of released H+, it is
not the only source. H+ ions
are also being released at a
rapid rate when you break down
the high energy compound ATP
during exercise. With the presence
of many sources during energy
production releasing H+, pH quickly
drops as does muscular performance,
slowing progress and lean muscle
gains.
How Does Carnosine Work?
There are a handful of ways
carnosine is thought to impact
performance but its most studied
function, and the focus of this
article, is its role as an intracellular
buffer. Carnosine helps
stabilize muscular pH by soaking
up hydrogen ions (H+) that are
released at an accelerated rate
during exercise.
Our bodies work to keep our
pH in balance by utilizing various
buffering systems. Buffers largely
work by soaking up H+ to maintain
optimal pH balance, which we
need to function most effectively.
As mentioned above, our muscles
function best in a specific pH
range. When pH drops below that
range, so does muscular performance.
By helping to keep us in a more
optimal pH range, our muscles
can continue to contract forcibly
for a longer time.
There are a handful of buffering
systems that work in our bodies.
Some maintain pH in extra cellular
fluids (ECF) outside of the cell,
while others perform their duties
in intracellular fluids (ICF)
inside the cell and some perform
in both. Our focus in this article
is on exercise performance and,
as mentioned above, the primary
source of H+ released during
exercise is from lactic acid
and ATP breakdown. Take a guess
where this breakdown and release
of H+ is occurring? If
you guessed inside our muscles
or intracellular, you would be
correct. As a result, the first
line of defense in absorbing
the H+ is going to be the cell
from intracellular buffers such
as carnosine, not from extra
cellular buffers.
Aside from carnosine being just
where we need it, buffering H+
inside our cells, it has additional,
unique attributes that make it
really shine. Carnosine is unique;
in that, other natural buffering
systems our bodies use are also
used in many other cellular reactions
aside from buffering, watering
down much of their buffering
abilities. However, what makes
carnosine really exciting, is
that by supplementing with extra
beta-alanine, we can specifically
and dramatically increase carnosine
levels. How much, you ask?
Researchers have shown that
when supplementing with beta-alanine
for just 4 weeks, we can increase
our carnosine concentration by
42-65%. Longer beta-alanine studies
going up to 10-12 weeks, show
carnosine concentrations increased
up to 80%. This is a tremendous
increase in an already powerful
intracellular buffer. It is this
large increase in buffering capacity
within our muscles that is largely
responsible for the strength,
lean body mass, power and muscular
endurance gains that researchers
are seeing from beta-alanine
studies.
Frequently Asked Questions
on Beta-Alanine and Carnosine
Is beta-alanine safe?
While this is not a frequently
asked question, it should be.
We understand many people care
most about gaining muscle, looking
great and performing at their
best but safety should not be
overlooked. We believe it should
actually be the first question
asked when considering a new
supplement, even before you question
efficacy.
The answer to the safety question
is a resounding yes. Studies,
going up to 12 weeks of continued
beta-alanine use, have looked
at a large array of blood biochemical,
hematological and hormonal markers
and no negative changes have
occurred whatsoever. While it
is impossible to say beta-alanine
is one hundred percent safe until
longer term studies are complete,
we do know that up to 12 weeks
of continued beta-alanine supplementation
is indeed safe.
Why not just take Carnosine
instead of Beta-Alanine?
When you ingest carnosine intact,
most of it is broken down in
the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
into its constituent amino acids,
beta-alanine and histidine. Some
intact carnosine does escape
the GI tract freely but even
that amount is quickly broken
down in our blood by the enzyme
carnosinase. In a very short
time, all the carnosine you just
ingested is either eliminated
or broken down into beta-alanine
and histidine. These two amino
acids are then taken into the
muscle, where they are converted
back into carnosine with the
help of the enzyme carnosine
synthetase.
Unfortunately, only about 40%
of the carnosine you take actually
contains beta-alanine, making
it an inefficient source at best.
You are better off, from both
efficiency and a financial standpoint,
taking beta-alanine directly.
You would have to take substantially
more carnosine just to approach
the increased concentrations
of carnosine achieved by taking
the scientifically recommended
dose of beta-alanine.Clearly,
taking beta-alanine is the superior
solution to increasing carnosine
levels.
How do we know Beta-Alanine
is actually increasing carnosine
levels?
Researchers have proven it by
actually taking muscle biopsies
(using a hollow needle to remove
a small sample of muscle tissue)
prior to the study and at various
time points throughout the study.
What they found is that beta-alanine
does, in fact, effectively and
significantly increase carnosine
concentrations in the range of
42-80%, depending on the dosing
and duration of the study.
Shouldn’t I take extra
histidine along with Beta-Alanine
since histidine is a component
of carnosine?
Probably no. Histidine is already
present in high concentrations
in muscle, while beta-alanine
is only present only in small
amounts. Researchers have determined
that it is beta-alanine that
drives carnosine synthesis, not
histidine. Since this has been
proven repeatedly in research,
there is no need to supplement
with extra histidine to increase
carnosine levels. There are potentially
some select populations like
vegans, vegetarians or the elderly
that may not get enough histidine
in their diets and are thus deficient,
which may compromise optimal
carnosine levels. But, we still
don’t recommend taking just extra
histidine with beta-alanine.
Instead, we recommend these groups
and simply bump up their total
protein intake which will in
turn solve their possible histidine
deficiency. For the majority
of healthy people, only beta-alanine
is needed as histidine deficiency
is rare and no extra supplementation
is needed to increase carnosine
concentrations.
At what point during
my workout set will extra carnosine
concentrations exert their
strongest effects?
Boosting carnosine levels with
beta-alanine is effective at
all points during your set, whether
you’re lifting heavy or doing
endurance work. Your body uses
three energy systems to perform
work: the ATP-PC system, which
is primarily used during heavy
lifting and for sets up into
the 5-6 rep range; the glycolytic
system, which is predominantly
used roughly within the 7-15
rep range and up; and the oxidative/fat
system, which is used primarily
in endurance training. Our energy
systems are utilized simultaneously;
however, depending on the level
of intensity or duration of exercise
and fitness levels of the individual,
certain energy systems will become
more dominant in producing energy
needed for that activity. Anybody
who trains with weights will
primarily use the first two systems
and, in both cases, the build-up
of hydrogen ions will contribute
to fatigue in both systems, especially
glycolysis.
This is where the supplement
creatine falls a little short.
It is mostly effective in the
ATP-PC system, which relies on
stored ATP and re-synthesis using
phosphocreatine (PC) for intense,
high-energy contractions. Taking
creatine will help your explosive
strength but it won’t help you
much in the 7-15 rep range. As
anyone trying to build bigger
muscles knows, you must train
in both heavy and moderate (7-15
reps) ranges to maximize muscle
mass gains. Beta-alanine, by
increasing carnosine concentrations,
can buffer/fight the H+ build-up
that occurs in both these ranges,
allowing you to maintain forceful
contractions for longer periods
of time.
Decreasing cellular fatigue
is an additional strength of
beta-alanine. A recent study
demonstrates that beta-alanine
outperformed creatine in
decreasing cellular fatigue,
giving it yet another advantage
over what has been considered
the most effective sport supplement
of the last decade. With beta-alanine
yielding impressive results in
university performance studies,
creatine’s days at the top may
be numbered.
Does beta-alanine replace
creatine?
Beta-alanine does not replace
creatine. As shown above, they
work differently and creatine
is still effective for maximizing
strength and power. If anything,
they should be taken together
as the ultimate one-two punch.
How much beta-alanine
is needed to cause performance
increases?
Research has shown that you
can take an amount between 3.2
grams and 6.4 grams per day to
significantly boost carnosine
levels and improve performance.
The most recent research, now
using 4-5 grams a day, is showing
comparable carnosine concentration
and performance improvements
to those using 6.4g daily.
Who can benefit from
beta-alanine?
Individuals participating
in weight training looking
to gain lean body mass and
increase strength.
- Any individual involved in
athletic activities where strength,
power and muscular endurance
are needed.
- Active individuals who have
reached a training plateau
and are looking for a supplement
to take them to the next level
How long will it take
to start noticing benefits?
Performance benefits typically
occur in as little as two weeks,
although some individuals will
notice benefits within one week.
As carnosine levels increase,
the benefits will follow. The
most dramatic results are generally
experienced within the 3-4 week
range but they don’t stop there. Recent
research is now showing carnosine
levels continue to increase for
a minimum of 12 weeks which is
why we recommend staying on beta-alanine
for at least three months to
optimize your carnosine levels.
Immediate benefits: Many users
experience intense vasodilation/pumps
from the very first dose of beta-alanine.
This experience occurs because
beta-alanine increases carnosine
and carnosine is a powerful precursor
in generating nitric oxide synthase
(a group of enzymes necessary
for making the powerful vasodilator
nitric oxide).
Are there any methods
that may increase beta-alanine’s
ability to increase carnosine
levels?
Yes. A recent study showed that
a group of subjects taking Beta-Alanine
with carbohydrates increased
performance gains in half the
time of the group taking an equal
amount of beta-alanine without
carbohydrates. Carbohydrates
spike insulin and one of insulin’s
effects is to increase amino
acid (such as beta-alanine) transport
into our cells.
While not research supported
as of yet, taking Beta-Alanine
pre-workout and post-workout
may increase the uptake of Beta-Alanine
into our muscles. Amino acid
nutrient timing studies have
clearly shown when amino acids
are ingested Pre-Workout and
Post-Workout, their uptake into
our muscle is increased. The
improved uptake is largely due
to increased blood flow during
exercise.
What is the prickling
I feel when I first take Beta-Alanine?
The prickling - called parathesia
- is caused by beta-alanine binding
to nerve receptors, activating
them and causing them to discharge/fire.
Many of these nerves are below
the skin, giving a prickling/pins-and-needles
sensation. This sensation begins
approximately 15-20 minutes after
ingesting beta-alanine and usually
continues for 1-1.5 hours. The
intensity varies depending on
dosing, individual sensitivity
and potentially from activators
of Ca2+ channels, such as caffeine.
This sensation, though generally
enjoyed, often subsides over
a few weeks of continued use.
Carbohydrates/food may also blunt
the prickling effect from beta-alanine.
If I don’t feel the
prickling does that mean beta
alanine isn’t working on me?
The prickling sensation does
not occur at all in some individuals,
even when taking 4-6 grams of
beta-alanine at one time. Do
not worry if you are in this
group. The prickling is NOT a
sign that beta-alanine is working
or being absorbed by your muscles
and converted to carnosine. If
you are feeling nothing, you
need not be concerned as it is
still increasing your carnosine
stores as research has repeatedly
shown.
A good example of this phenomenon
is when combining carbohydrates
with beta-alanine. Not only do
carbohydrates blunt much of the
prickling sensations, they also
increase beta-alanine's performance
gains faster than beta-alanine
without carbohydrates.
Another good example is comparing
studies that measure carnosine
concentrations using multiple
small 800 mg doses of beta-alanine vs. studies
using multiple doses of 1.6 g
of beta-alanine. The total daily
amount of beta-alanine ingested
is similar and the duration of
the studies using both dosage
strategies is matched up as well.
800 mg is low enough to cause
little to no prickling, based
off feedback from both research
and anecdotal, where as 1.6 g
can cause quite a lot.The outcome
of both studies showed carnosine
concentrations were very similar.
Is taking taurine at
the same time as beta-alanine
going to stop beta-alanine
from boosting carnosine and
performance levels?
While there is certainly potential
for problems when taking these
two together (they share the
same transporter into tissues),
it hasn’t yet been supported
in the research to any level
of significance. In fact, a recent
study by Dr. Harris, showed that
the increase in muscle carnosine
with beta-alanine was not reduced
when taurine was taken along
with it.
We could get into the biochemistry
of why taking taurine with beta-alanine
may not seem like a good idea
but we have a more simple and
conclusive explanation just in
case you wanted more proof to
support Dr. Harris’s study. Since
there is a group of studies that
used either beta-alanine by itself
or beta-alanine with taurine,
we examined them to determine
if there were any differences
in the resulting carnosine concentrations.
While more research is always
needed, there are quite a few
beta-alanine vs. beta-alanine
plus taurine studies, and their
outcomes are all the same. There
is little to no difference in
carnosine concentrations. In
other words, taurine does not
appear to inhibit beta-alanine
from being absorbed, otherwise
carnosine levels would have been
lower in the beta-alanine plus
taurine studies.
Closing Remarks
We hope our article has given
you a much better understanding
of how beta-alanine works and
why it is so effective. It truly
is the next tier in sports nutrition
and we may not see anything as
effective for 10-15 years, just
as it was with creatine. Look
for beta-alanine to grow in popularity
as more people experience the
power first hand and beta-alanine
rises to the forefront in sport’s
performance university research.
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