Benefits of Beta Alanine for athletic performance 

WHAT IS BETA ALANINE?

Beta-alanine, also known as ‘the tingles’ due to the tingling feeling some people experience when they consume this supplement, is a non-essential amino acid that is produced naturally in the body. The key role played by beta-alanine is supporting athletic performance, by increasing the production of caronise.  

Caronise is a natural dipeptide (short protein) that exists in skeletal muscles in high concentrations and exerts buffering properties. This is particularly relevant for high-intensity activities (~1-10 min of all-out effort), or in sports where athletes are required to make repeated high-intensity efforts¹. 

WHAT ARE THE PERFORMANCE BENEFITS OF BETA ALANINE?

Studies to date have investigated the effects of consistent beta-alanine supplementation on a range of athletic performance aspects including repeated-sprint ability, muscle strength and power, and brief all-out efforts (1-10 mins).  

Improvements in several aspects of lower body strength were found following beta-alanine supplementation. Five weeks of beta-alanine supplementation in combination with a strength training programme increased several markers of lower-body power in strength-trained individuals ⁵. 6 weeks of beta-alanine supplementation improved cardiovascular fitness and increased lean body mass in active individuals ⁷. 

A vast number of studies focus on the effects of beta alanine on football and running performances^2,3,8,9, when supplementing for a variety of different time periods. Findings show that those who incorporate high-intensity interval training sessions as part of their workout routine can likely benefit from beta-alanine supplementation.  

BETA ALANINE HEALTH BENEFITS

Apart from the effects on exercise performance, beta-alanine supplementation may also have therapeutic potential, as carnosine displays antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and potentially neuroprotective effects ¹⁰. 

Ten weeks of daily beta-alanine supplementation improved certain aspects of cognitive function and reduced depression scores in older adults ¹¹. Cognitive function following endurance exercise was also improved in middle aged individuals after 4 weeks of beta-alanine supplementation ¹². Improved cognitive function is particularly important in individuals that engage in functional fitness, where cognition plays an important role in performance.  

WHO SHOULD TAKE BETA ALANINE?

Beta Alanine is highly relevant to individuals that undertake strength and functional training on a regular basis and are looking to improve their body composition, as demonstrated by the scientific findings above. 

CAN YOU GET BETA ALANINE FROM FOOD?

Beta-alanine is naturally found in foods such as chicken, beef, fish and pork. It is produced in most animal tissues, predominantly in muscle and brain tissue. As the quantity of beta-alanine consumed usually in a meal is below 600mg, ingesting this nutrient only through diet is not sufficient to drive the beneficial effects discussed so far in this article.  

For example, to consume 3.2-6.4g of beta-alanine (dose used in research studies), you will need the equivalent amount of these foods:

Consuming a beta-alanine supplement represents therefore a more convenient approach to achieve an optimal intake. 

HOW MUCH BETA ALANINE SHOULD I TAKE?

Several dosages have been used so far in scientific studies. The overall body of literature indicates that a loading phase of at least 4 weeks with a daily dose of 6.4 g of beta-alanine is required for enhancing exercise performance, followed by a daily intake of 3.2 g for maintenance ¹⁴.  The duration of the supplementation protocol is also key, with studies that only supplemented with beta-alanine for a period of three weeks failed to see an improvement in exercise performance ¹⁵.  

CAN YOU PREVENT SKIN TINGLING?

Whilst, no adverse effects have been reported up to 24 weeks of β-alanine supplementation (3.2 g per day), it does cause a common sensation of skin tingling. The latter can be reduced by splitting the dose in four servings during the loading phase (1.6g each dose) and in two servings (1.6g each dose) during the maintenance phase.  

*Beta-alanine supplementation is recognised to be a safe performance-enhancing supplement by several organisations, including the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 

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REFERENCES

1. Saunders, B., Elliott-Sale, K., Artioli, G.G., Swinton, P.A., Dolan, E., Roschel, H., Sale, C. and Gualano, B., 2017. Beta-alanine supplementation to improve exercise capacity and performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 51(8), pp.658-669.

2. AbuMoh’d, M.F. and Abubaker, M., 2020. Effect of Beta-Alanine Supplementation on Repeated Sprint Ability and Responses of Blood Lactate and Bicarbonate in Male Soccer Players. Sport Mont, 18(2). 

3. Saunders, B., Sunderland, C., Harris, R.C. and Sale, C., 2012. Beta-alanine supplementation improves YoYo intermittent recovery test performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9, pp.1-5. 

5.Maté-Muñoz, J.L., Lougedo, J.H., Garnacho-Castaño, M.V., Veiga-Herreros, P., Lozano-Estevan, M.D.C., García-Fernández, P., de Jesús, F., Guodemar-Pérez, J., San Juan, A.F. and Domínguez, R., 2018. Effects of β-alanine supplementation during a 5-week strength training program: a randomized, controlled study. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15, pp.1-12. 

7. Smith, A.E., Walter, A.A., Graef, J.L., Kendall, K.L., Moon, J.R., Lockwood, C.M., Fukuda, D.H., Beck, T.W., Cramer, J.T. and Stout, J.R., 2009. Effects of β-alanine supplementation and high-intensity interval training on endurance performance and body composition in men; a double-blind trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 6, pp.1-9. 

8. Ducker, K.J., Dawson, B. and Wallman, K.E., 2013. Effect of beta-alanine supplementation on 800-m running performance. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 23(6), pp.554-561. 

9. Santana, J.O., De Freitas, M.C., Dos Santos, D.M., Rossi, F.E., Lira, F.S., Rosa-Neto, J.C. and Caperuto, E.C., 2018. Beta-alanine supplementation improved 10-km running time trial in physically active adults. Frontiers in Physiology, 9, p.360893. 

10.Sale, C., Artioli, G.G., Gualano, B., Saunders, B., Hobson, R.M. and Harris, R.C., 2013. Carnosine: from exercise performance to health. Amino acids, 44, pp.1477-1491. 

11. Ostfeld, I., Ben-Zeev, T., Zamir, A., Levi, C., Gepner, Y., Springer, S. and Hoffman, J.R., 2023. Role of β-alanine supplementation on cognitive function, mood, and physical function in older adults; double-blind randomized controlled study. Nutrients, 15(4), p.923. 

12. Furst, T., Massaro, A., Miller, C., Williams, B.T., LaMacchia, Z.M. and Horvath, P.J., 2018. β-Alanine supplementation increased physical performance and improved executive function following endurance exercise in middle aged individuals. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15(1), p.32. 

13. Matthews, J.J., Dolan, E., Swinton, P.A., Santos, L., Artioli, G.G., Turner, M.D., Elliott-Sale, K.J. and Sale, C., 2021. Effect of carnosine or β-alanine supplementation on markers of glycemic control and insulin resistance in humans and animals: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Advances in Nutrition, 12(6), pp.2216-2231. 

14. Grgic, J., 2021. Effects of beta-alanine supplementation on Yo–Yo test performance: A meta-analysis. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, 43, pp.158-162. 

15. Smith, A.E., Walter, A.A., Graef, J.L., Kendall, K.L., Moon, J.R., Lockwood, C.M., Fukuda, D.H., Beck, T.W., Cramer, J.T. and Stout, J.R., 2009. Effects of Beta-alanine supplementation and high-intensity interval training on endurance performance and body composition in men; a double-blind trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 6(1), p.5.