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Beta Alanine
Creating a physiological
environment to increase our ability to work harder for longer is our goal.
The extent to which carnosine can delay acidosis (pH decline) is relative to
its concentration in our muscles and this is where supplementation may play
an important role. We sense fatigue when we exercise to the point where we
feel the task requires greater effort than it should. Fortunately, certain
sports supplements have anti-fatigue properties. For example, it’s crystal
clear that muscle creatine phosphate depletion leads to fatigue and creatine
supplementation can increase creatine phosphate concentration. Consequently,
creatine supplementation improves maximal power/strength, work performed
during sets of maximal effort muscle contractions, single-effort sprint
performance and work performed during repetitive sprint performance.
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Below is a scientific citation from a study as to the reasons.
β-alanine is the
rate-limiting precursor of carnosine, which is to say carnosine
levels are limited by the amount of available β-alanine.
Supplementation with β-alanine has been shown to increase the
concentration of carnosine in muscles, decrease fatigue in athletes
and increase total muscular work done.[1][2]
Typically studies
have used supplementing strategies of multiple doses of 400mg or
800mg, administered at regular intervals for up to eight hours, over
periods ranging from
4
to 10 weeks (e.g. Harris et al., 2006; Hill et al., 2007). After 10
a 10 week supplementing strategy the reported increase in
intramuscular carnosine content was an average of 80.1% (range 18 to
205%) (Hill et al., 2007).
L-histidine, with
a pKa of 6.1 is a relatively weak buffer over the physiological
intramuscular pH range. owever, when bound to other amino acids this
increases nearer to 6.8-7.0. In particular, when bound to beta-alanine
the pKa value is 6.83 (Bate-Smith, 1938), making this a very
efficient intramuscular buffer. Further more because of the position
of the beta amino group, beta-alanine dipeptides are not
incorporated proteins and thus can be stored at relatively high
concentrations (millimolar). Occuring at 17-25 mmol.kg (dry muscle)
(Mannion et al., 1992), carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) is an
important intramuscular buffer, constituting 10-20% of the total
buffering capacity in type I and II muscle fibres.
I t’s
also well established that carbohydrate ingestion during prolonged
exercise can delay fatigue. However, it’s becoming increasingly
clear that traditional sports drinks containing only carbohydrates
are old news, as recent
studies show the addition of protein to a carbohydrate supplement
enhances endurance performance above that which occurs with
carbohydrate alone. There are also numerous studies indicating that
caffeine and bicarbonate loading reduces fatigue.
The latest addition to our arsenal
appears to be β-alanine (Beta Alanine), a nonessential amino acid
that’s found in many foods we eat. Recent preliminary reports
suggest that beta alanine supplementation can increase muscle
carnosine levels and exercise performance.
A
double-blinded study by Dr. C.A. Hill and co-workers, presented at
2005 American College of Sports Medicine Annual Conference, examined
the effects of Beta Alanine supplementation (four to 6.4 grams per
day) on muscle carnosine levels and exercise performance in
untrained subjects. Mean carnosine levels increased by 58 percent at
week four and by an additional 15 percent at week 10. Also, the
investigators noted a 16 percent increase in total work done during
cycle ergometry at weeks four and In another study, presented at the
2005 International Society of Sports Nutrition Annual Conference,
Dr. Jeff Stout and colleagues examined the effects of Beta Alanine
supplementation (1.6 to 3.2 grams per day) on physical working
capacity at fatigue threshold in untrained men. The authors reported
a greater increase in fatigue threshold of nine percent over placebo
(fake supplement), suggesting that Beta Alanine supplementation may
delay the onset of neuromuscular fatigue.
1.
Derave W, Ozdemir MS, Harris R,
Pottier A, Reyngoudt H, Koppo K, Wise JA, Achten E. (Aug 9). "Beta-alanine
supplementation augments muscle carnosine content and attenuates
fatigue during repeated isokinetic contraction bouts in trained
sprinters". J Appl Physiol.
2.
Hill
CA,
Harris RC, Kim HJ, Harris BD,
Sale
C, Boobis LH, Kim CK, Wise JA. (2007). "Influence of beta-alanine
supplementation on skeletal muscle carnosine concentrations and high
intensity cycling capacity". Amino Acids 32 (2): 225-33.
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