Beta-alanine supplementation relieves fatigue, increases muscle carnosine

Researchers from the University of Central Florida suggest supplementing with beta-alanine to increase muscle carnosine and relieve fatigue. In their study, which was published in the journal Nutrition Research, the team looked at the effects of beta-alanine supplementation on performance, muscle carnosine, and L-histidine in men and women.

• Earlier studies have shown that supplementation with beta-alanine leads to increased intramuscular carnosine content, improving buffering capacity during intense exercise.
• Recent research has also suggested that beta-alanine supplementation may also decrease muscle L-histidine.
• For the current study, the research team compared the effects of beta-alanine supplementation between men and women.
• They hypothesized that beta-alanine supplementation would result in similar increases in carnosine and performance between men and women and would reduce muscle L-histidine.
• To test this hypothesis, they recruited 26 men and women and randomly gave them either beta-alanine or placebo for 28 days.
• The results showed that beta-alanine supplementation greatly increased muscle carnosine and reduced exercise fatigue both in men and women.
• However, beta-alanine supplementation did not affect muscle L-histidine.
• The differences between men and women were unclear.

The findings of the study suggested that supplementing with beta-alanine for 28 days can increase muscle carnosine and relieve fatigue in men and women, but did not reduce muscle L-histidine.

To read more studies on supplements for better exercise performance, visit Nutraceuticals.news.

Journal Reference: 

Varanoske AN, Hoffman JR, Church DD, Coker NA, Baker KM, Dodd SJ, Oliveira LP, Dawson VL, Wang R, Fukuda DH, Stout JR. ? -ALANINE SUPPLEMENTATION ELEVATES INTRAMUSCULAR CARNOSINE CONTENT AND ATTENUATES FATIGUE IN MEN AND WOMEN SIMILARLY BUT DOES NOT CHANGE MUSCLE L -HISTIDINE CONTENT. Nutrition Research. December 2017; 48: 16-25. DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2017.10.002