How does Beta Alanine Work in Bodybuilding and Is It Safe
β-Alanine is a nonproteinogenic amino acid that is produced endogenously in the liver. On its own, beta-alanine has limited energizing properties. However, β-alanine has been identified as the rate-limiting precursor for carnosine synthesis and has been consistently shown to increase carnosine levels in human skeletal muscle.
Although there is evidence that athletes who engage in resistance training and high-intensity exercise have higher concentrations of carnosine. However, longitudinal training studies have shown that changes in intramuscular carnosine are not clear-cut. Variability in carnosine increases appeared to reflect baseline levels, with greater increases in carnosine concentrations seen in vegetarians compared with meat eaters. Men tend to have higher carnosine concentrations than women, and higher concentrations in fast-twitch muscle fibers than slow-twitch muscle fibers. Carnosine concentrations also decline with age and are likely influenced by habitual diet of carnosine-containing foods.
Nonetheless, supplementation with β-alanine will still increase carnosine concentrations, regardless of whether baseline levels are low or high, and no upper limit for carnosine concentrations has been established. Many of the studies evaluating increases in muscle carnosine have been done in young men, but evidence also suggests that beta-alanine supplementation is also effective in women and older adults.
How does it work
Beta-alanine works by increasing carnosine concentrations.
Carnosine is stored primarily in skeletal muscle and varies widely between species. Carnosinase, an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of carnosine, exists in human serum and various tissues, but does not exist in skeletal muscle and many animals. Notably, carnosinase is absent in most non-primate mammals.
Carnosine is stored primarily in skeletal muscle and varies widely between species. Carnosinase, an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of carnosine, exists in human serum and various tissues, but does not exist in skeletal muscle and many animals. Notably, carnosinase is absent in most non-primate mammals.
Carnosine has been shown to act as an antioxidant by scavenging free radicals and singlet oxygen, thereby reducing oxidative stress. Carnosine is abundant in human skeletal muscle and may affect these contributors to fatigue and oxidative stress by buffering excess protons, scavenging free radicals, and chelating transition metals. As the rate-limiting precursor of carnosine synthesis, beta-alanine supplementation has been shown to consistently elevate carnosine in a variety of populations and may thereby improve performance during high-intensity exercise or improve the quality of training in athletes performing strength and power sports .
Is Beta-Alanine Safe
Beta-alanine is safe when taken in recommended doses in healthy people.
Tingling sensation is the most common side effect of beta-alanine and is common in people who take more than 800 mg of beta-alanine in non-sustained-release form. The symptoms of paresthesia were significantly reduced by using the sustained-release formulation. In studies using non-sustained-release supplemental medications, it has been reported that paresthesias usually resolve within 60–90 minutes after supplementation. So far, there’s no evidence to support that the tingle is harmful in any way. Paraesthesia side effects usually occur on the face, neck, and backs of the hands. While not everyone will have paresthesias, it is usually dose-dependent, with the higher the dose, the greater the side effects. Recent data also suggest that Asian men have less severe paresthesias and Asian women have more severe paresthesias.
A second effect of β-alanine supplementation is a potential reduction in taurine concentrations. β-Alanine and taurine share the same transporter into skeletal muscle, thereby inhibiting the uptake of taurine in the muscle. In animal models, beta-alanine has been shown to reduce circulating taurine levels by approximately 50%. Interestingly, Harris et al. reported that 4 weeks of β-alanine supplementation resulted in increased plasma taurine concentrations. However, there was no significant decrease in muscle taurine levels. Although taurine has many fundamental physiological functions, to date there is no human data to support that supplementation with beta-alanine reduces taurine concentrations.