In the world of fitness supplements, many of them, unfortunately, either don't work at all, or work, but they're just not worth buying. People who are new to fitness usually start working out in the gyms and start buying and using these worthless supplements. That's a sad sight, because supplement companies are purposely marketing these supplements to these people for their money.
But there is some good news. There are supplements that work and are worth buying. One of the biggest ones is creatine, which I've already discussed. Another one is beta-alanine.
What Is It?
Beta-alanine is a naturally occurring beta amino acid. It's a rate-limiting precursor of carnosine, which is to say carnosine levels are limited by the amount of available beta-alanine.
To understand what beta-alanine does you have to understand what carnosine is and what does it do. Carnosine is a molecule, made up of the amino acids beta-alanine and histidine. It's highly concentrated in muscle and brain tissues.
Carnosine has a number of beneficial antioxidant properties. It has also been proven to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as alpha-beta unsaturated aldehydes formed from peroxidation of cell membrane fatty acids during oxidative stress. These processes are very important to the body, as they improve your health and decrease the chance of death.
Carnosine acts as an antiglycating agent, reducing the rate of formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) (substances that can be a factor in the development or worsening of many degenerative diseases, such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, chronic renal failure, and Alzheimer's disease), and ultimately reducing development of atherosclerotic plaque build-up. Chronic glycolysis is thought to accelerate aging, making carnosine a candidate for therapeutic potential.
So, if it's the carnosine that's so important, why don't we just take carnosine supplements? Good question, and I'll tell you why. It's because carnosine, when taken orally, is s broken down during digestion to its components, histidine and beta-alanine and, by weight, only 40% of the dose is available as beta-alanine. And that means that you would have to take 2.5 the amount of carnosine compared to beta-alanine to get the same effect. So simply taking beta-alanine is a lot more productive and cheaper. One study has proven that beta-alanine supplementation increased carnosine concentrations by up to 58 percent in just four weeks, and 80 percent in 10 weeks.
What Does It Do?
Beta-alanine has quite a few positive effects that a lot of lifters enjoy and they increase as the muscle carnosine levels rise. The main ones are:
Muscular Endurance - studies show that beta-alanine has a positive effect on muscular endurance. People who supplemented with it for a period of 10 weeks could train with higher overall volume and shorter rest periods.
Muscular Strength and Power - there seems to be little to none direct effect of on strength while on beta-alanine, unfortunately, but since it also effects other factors it will eventually have and indirect effect on muscular strength.
Fat Mass - it has a minor direct effect on reducing the overall body fat and it helps to reduce body fat by affecting other factors.
Lean Mass - beta-alanine increases overall lean body mass a bit and it helps to build it in the long term.
Anaerobic Running Capacity - there is a positive effect when it comes to sprinting. People who take beta-alanine can sprint faster and longer. The effect isn't very significant but it is very real.
Fatigue - there is quite a bit of an increase in the body's ability not to get fatigued and keep exerting physical force.
Help In Neurological Disorder Prevention - as I already noted, beta-alanine, once it becomes a part of carnosine, helps to prevent and treat neurological disorders like Alzheimer's and dementia.
How Much To Take?
There are quite a few different protocols when it comes to the dosages. Some of them have you cycle it, kinda like with creatine. Some have you take large dosages, others small. But the actual answer to this question is really simple. Take 3-5 grams of it. 3 grams might be not enough, depending on your body mass and physical activity level. Taking 5 grams will almost certainly make sure that you get enough of it.
Don't cycle it. Just like when companies want you to cycle creatine, they want you to cycle beta-alanine, because you use up more of the product and you'll have to buy it more often and they'll make more money.
How Often To take It?
Everyday. As simple as that. If you want to really feel the difference from your beta-alanine you have to take it every day to make sure that carnosine levels in the muscle constantly stay elevated. It doesn't matter wherever it's your training or rest day.
Are There Any Side Effects?
There can be. Quite a few studies have been made regarding beta-alanine and, fortunately, it wasn't really proven to be dangerous. That being said, there are two main not really dangerous side effects that you may experience:
Paresthesia - a lot of people who take beta-alanine experience this. Paresthesia is essentially a tingling sensation that is usually felt in the extremities, meaning that if you take it, you might feel tingling in your arms and legs for a little while. It can also be felt in the face, torso and other areas. This is believed to happen because once beta-alanine is digested, it is converted to carnosine. And paresthesia is caused by rising carnosine levels in the muscle. But don't worry though, it's completely harmless and the only bad thing about it is that it can be annoying. So here's a tip to prevent or minimize it - split your beta-alanine and take it a few times a day and take it on a full stomach.
Taurine Deficiency - beta-alanine can deplete your body's taurine store's a bit, because taurine and beta-alanine work in conjunction to help the body. This, in most cases, isn't really dangerous, because taurine is non-essential, but can still be slightly harmful. To counteract this you can supplement with taurine. Take it's supplements or simply drink energy drinks that contain it. But it shouldn't really be a problem for most people and the risk is high with only really large dosages of beta-alanine.
In Which Part Of The Day Should It Be Taken?
Doesn't really matter. Again, just like with creatine, all that matters is that your body absorbs everything that the supplement has to offer, carnosine in this case, over a certain period of time. Some people like to take it before a workout to feel the tingling sensation, others don't like this feeling and avoid taking it before a workout. So it's all up to you, there isn't any real need to take it at a certain time of day.
What beta-alanine To Take?
You can get whatever beta-alanine you want. One that I personally use and recommend is optimum nutrition's beta-alanine. It's great quality and it's relatively cheap for the amount that it offers.
Conclusion
So, beta-alanine is a supplement that, unlike many others, is worth your money as it is proven to work. Take about 5 grams of it at any time of day, everyday and at least 10 weeks later you should feel full effects of it.