Most of the evidence of the effectiveness of Beta-Alanine is quite recent, and the mechanism by which it helps athletes is supposed to work by converting Beta Alanine into the amino acid carnosine in the muscles. Muscles with higher carnosine levels can contract harder for longer and produce greater force, leading to better muscular endurance and performance.
Carnosine works as buffering agent, reducing the amount of chemical by-products during intense exercise, such as lactic acid in your muscles. Not to be confused with bicarbonate of soda which buffers lactic acid in the bloodstream, Beta Alanine serves as an intramuscular buffer, allowing you to do more. Studies have shown Beta Alanine supplementation can increase intramuscular carnosine levels by up to 64%.
- What does that mean? It means you exercise with less fatigue.
- How? It buffers the acidity in the muscle.
Very Different to Creatine
So if it’s the next creatine, does that mean that’s the end for creatine? No! Beta Alanine and creatine work very differently. Creatine provides a source of energy to muscle. Beta Alanine is a precursor of another compound - carnosine found in muscle - that buffers acidity and prolongs training. However they can work synergistically and evidence points us to believe that creatine works better for the 1-6 rep range whilst Beta Alanine works better in the 7-12 rep range.
The Evidence
Most of the research available agrees that muscle carnosine synthesis is limited by the availability of Beta-Alanine. Therefore fatigue kicks in when carnosine levels are low.
Researchers in 2008 observed Beta Alanine supplementation in 8 male experienced weight trainees taking 4.8 gm per day for 30 days on resistance exercise performance. Their resistance exercise protocol consisted of 6 sets of 12 repetitions of the squat exercise at 70% of their one-repetition maximum (1-RM) with 1.5 minutes of rest between each set. After 4 weeks, the Beta-Alanine group was able to perform 22% more total repetitions.
There is also evidence that Beta Alanine effects slow twitch muscle fibres as well as fast twitch fibres and therefore helps endurance athletes. Two recent studies found that cyclists who supplemented with Beta-Alanine were able to get 13% more total work done after 4 weeks, and 16% more after 10 weeks compared to a group who didn’t use Beta-Alanine.
Dr. Roger Harris, professor at the University of Chichester in the UK who was the earliest researcher of creatine monohydrate and the main proponent of its use in athletes, has been studying and working with Beta Alanine very closely. In 2005-2006 he had the South Korean Speed Skating team use Beta Alanine six months prior to the Winter Olympics and watched them claim a record 6 gold medals, 3 silver and 3 bronze in comparison to 2002 where they achieved 2 gold and 2 silver.
Most individuals (male and female) will notice benefits within one week, but research has shown that the maximum benefit is observed after 10 weeks of use, so it is worth persisting with it for at least three months.
Carnosine
One question that many people ask is whether they shouldn’t simply skip the Beta-Alanine and supplement directly with carnosine – after all, Beta-Alanine seems to work by increasing carnosine levels.
The answer lies in the nature of carnosine itself – unfortunately, when you ingest carnosine itself, most of it is broken down in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The little that does escape into the blood suffers the same fate there. Thus it is actually far more effective to take Beta-Alanine.
Beta Alanine & Creatine
While many so called “performance stacks” are based on little more than wishful thinking, there is one that is based on solid and significant research – Beta-Alanine and Creatine combined.
Researchers have shown that combined Beta Alanine and Creatine Monohydrate supplementation produces a synergistic effect whereby total power output, fat-free mass gain, strength increases, and body fat reductions are all significantly greater than with creatine monohydrate supplementation alone. Dr. Hoffman assembled a group of 33 college football players who had a minimum of 5 years weight training experience. In trials over 10 weeks comparing creatine alone and creatine plus Beta Alanine, the creatine plus Beta Alanine group gained 1 pound a week more muscle and lost fat, whilst not following any kind of diet. Beta Alanine helps to lose fat. Wow!! Creatine by the way has never been shown to lose fat.
Who is Beta Alanine For?
Like creatine it works for just about everybody, and similarly you see and feel the effects. So you know its working. However Beta Alanine is really for two main types of people:
1 Anybody who wants to train beyond their current threshold. Beta Alanine will push you past any barriers or plateaus you have.
2 Anybody who wants to look good. As you can do more work on Beta Alanine, a higher intensity with less fatigue is achieved therefore more muscle is built and in turn more fat calories are burned.
Although its use as a supplement is still new, studies of up to 12 weeks have shown no negative changes across a wide range of blood, biochemical, haematological and hormonal markers making it safe to consume for up to 3 months.
Dosage
The research that has been conducted has used dosages of between 3.2 grams and 6.4 grams per day. Thus most conservative dosages suggest between 4-5 grams a day, typically taken 30 – 60 minutes before a workout and after a workout. However because of how Beta Alanine works, the goal is to get Beta Alanine saturated within the muscle cells, therefore most research has shown its better to take it in multiple smaller doses throughout the day. So 4-6 x 1g doses would work better. After 4 weeks you can then reduce the daily amount by half – so about 3g per day to keep carnosine levels high. However it is always a good idea to take Beta Alanine with foods, to slow down its release into the body and prevent the body from wasting what it doesn’t need. Anymore than 6g is a dosage that is too excessive and is cautioned against states Dr Roger Harris.
When first used, some people experience a tingling and slight skin flushing similar to that of niacin. This is completely harmless and will soon stop, but this is a sign that the dose was too high.
Conclusion
With such authoritive figures as, Dr Harris and renowned research scientist Dr. Jeff Stout publishing research on Beta Alanine and promoting its use as a performance enhancing sports supplement, the research and athletic communities are listening very hard, due to the impressive scientific data which supports its use.
Personal Recommendation
Just buy a Pure Beta-Alanine powder, then work hard and feel it work. It is very inexpensive compared with many supplements that do not have a solid and growing body of research behind it and probably never will.
