Beta-alanine
Also called: β-alanine, carnosine precursor, sustained-release beta-alanine.
An amino acid that loads muscle with carnosine over weeks; harmless tingling, and a one-off dose before training does nothing.
What it is
Beta-alanine is the rate-limiting amino acid in the synthesis of carnosine, an intramuscular buffer that slows acidification during intense efforts. Meat and poultry provide it. People buy it for efforts of 1 to 4 minutes and intermittent sports, and often consume it without knowing it in pre-workout products.
What the label does not say
- The effect does not come from the day's dose. The ISSN describes 4 to 6 g per day for at least 2 to 4 weeks, with a rise in muscle carnosine of 20 to 30% after 2 weeks, 40 to 60% after 4 weeks and up to 80% after 10 weeks. A single dose before training has no mechanism by which to act that day; carnosine then takes 6 to 15 weeks to come back down.
- The tingling (paresthesia) depends on the dose per serving, not the dose per day: it appears above about 800 mg or 10 mg/kg in immediate release, lasts 60 to 90 minutes, and the ISSN writes that no data indicate it is harmful. Doses of 1.6 g or less, or a sustained-release form, reduce it. Health Canada requires the statement "reduce the dose if you experience flushing or tingling". It is not a sign that the product is working.
- Pre-workouts underdose it: 2.0 ± 0.8 g per serving on average across 100 products, below the 4 g per day threshold the authors used, which 1.8% of products reached, and 44.3% of the ingredients were declared without a quantity in proprietary blends. One serving on training days does not complete the loading.
- The effect is real but modest and narrow: a meta-analysis of 40 studies (1,461 participants), overall effect size of 0.18, concentrated on efforts of 30 seconds to 10 minutes, negligible under 30 seconds; the NIH reports little or no benefit beyond 10 minutes.
The forms on the shelf
- Immediate-release powder or capsules: the form used in the trials; above about 800 mg per dose, it causes tingling.
- Sustained release: the ISSN (International Society of Sports Nutrition) reports that paresthesia is substantially reduced with it, which allows larger doses.
- In pre-workouts: present in 87% of the 100 products analyzed by Jagim (2019), at 2.0 g per serving on average.
Published reference values
- Health Canada: 800 mg minimum per dose, 4.8 to 6.4 g per day, maximum 3.2 g per dose; consult for use beyond 10 weeks. Permitted claim: increases muscle carnosine, a factor that delays neuromuscular fatigue in intense intermittent efforts.
- ISSN: 4 to 6 g per day in doses of 2 g or less for at least 2 to 4 weeks; the NIH cites 1.6 to 6.4 g per day in 2 to 4 doses over 4 to 8 weeks.
- Safety: the only reported adverse effect is paresthesia. The ISSN specifies that no data exist beyond one year of use, and that a sometimes-cited drop in taurine has not been found in humans.
When
Every day, rest days included, in split doses, with or without a meal: Examine indicates that the timing of the dose does not affect effectiveness. Combined with creatine, the results are contradictory according to the ISSN.
To mention to a professional
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding (a statement required by Health Canada), planned use beyond 10 weeks, stacking with a pre-workout that already contains it: check with a health care professional.
From the plate first
Meat and poultry provide it according to the ISSN; vegetarians start with lower muscle carnosine and respond more to the supplement.
Sources
- Trexler et al., ISSN position stand: Beta-Alanine, JISSN 2015
- Saunders et al., β-alanine supplementation to improve exercise capacity and performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis, BJSM 2017
- Health Canada, natural health product monograph, Workout Supplements
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance (Health Professional)
- Jagim et al., Common Ingredient Profiles of Multi-Ingredient Pre-Workout Supplements, Nutrients 2019
- Examine.com, Beta-Alanine
Educational information, drawn from the sources above. It does not replace the advice of a health professional, who remains the reference for your situation, your medications, pregnancy or breastfeeding.