THE EFFECTS OF BETA-ALANINE ON WEIGHT TRAINING

For many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts, one of the most well-known supplements must be beta-alanine. For starters, beta-alanine is an amino acid, a naturally occurring one—which means it can be formed in the body (in vivo) by the degradation of carnosine (a dipeptide highly concentrated in the muscle and the brain) and dihydrouracil (an intermediate in the catabolism of uracil nucleotide). Furthermore, beta-alanine is part of carnosine, anserine and pantothenic acid (or vitamin B5).

However, beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid, which makes it somewhat controversial to understand— how does it come to land as a supplement in the bodybuilding community?

The Biochemical Properties of Beta-alanine:

            To understand fully how beta-alanine became one of the famous supplements, if not the most famous one, we need to delve into its biochemistry. As earlier mentioned, beta-alanine is an amino acid and is formed by the degradation of dihydrouracil and carnosine. Basically, beta-alanine is the rate-limiting precursor of carnosine, which means beta-alanine may limit the levels of carnosine in the body.¹

                Beta-alanine has other properties as well: (1) as antioxidant property by scavenging free radicals; (2) as an indirect nitric oxide producer in the body; and (3) as a component of vitamin B5.¹

                The role of carnosine and its direct connection with beta-alanine explains how beta-alanine can be an essential supplement in exercises that cause fatigue.

            Carnosine is thought to have an essential role in intracellular ph buffering; it reduces muscle fatigue by trimming down the effects of lactic acid buildup in the muscle during high-intensity exercise. Being a dipeptide, carnosine is also composed of amino acid histidine but since beta-alanine is the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of carnosine in the muscle, beta-alanine is known to much more increase carnosine concentrations in the muscle than histidine. This is where supplementation of beta-alanine is applied.¹

            On the other hand, you might ask why just supplement with carnosine instead of beta-alanine? This is because carnosine supplementation is not as effective as beta-alanine. When carnosine is taken by mouth, it is just degraded into histidine and beta-alanine, which is quite senseless unlike taking in beta-alanine to increase carnosine levels in order for carnosine to do its job.¹

Weight Training and Beta-alanine:

            Weight training is considered to be a high-intensity exercise. Muscles during extreme weigh training may fatigue by lactic acid buildup and this is where carnosine usually plays its role.

            During high-intensity exercise there is a buildup of hydrogen ions (H+) in the muscle cells. This increase in H+ will lower the pH of the muscle cells making it more acidic and causing negative enzyme function. This further affects the excitation-contraction coupling events in the muscle that can in turn affect high-intensity output. Thus, causing muscle fatigue.²

                Carnosine comes into play to counter the effect of muscle fatigue during weight training. It does its job by being the first line of defense against H+ buildup in the muscle. Supplementing with beta-alanine increases carnosine; therefore, beta-alanine is used during weight training to prevent muscle fatigue. In this way, more exercises can be done and more routine can be added to train the muscles without breaking down its power.

            In a study done in 2007 by Hill et al, the influence of beta-alanine supplementation on skeletal muscle carnosine concentrations and high intensity cycling capacity were measured. There were thirteen male subjects who were supplemented with beta-alanine for four weeks and eight of them for ten weeks. The results showed that “muscle carnosine was significantly increased by +58.8% and +80.1% after four and ten weeks beta-alanine supplementation.”³

            A connection between carnosine and Type II fast-twitch muscle fibers has also been known. This is thought to explain why sprinters and natural muscle freaks have higher levels of muscle carnosine. Additionally, since women break down carnosine in their body more actively, carnosine is relatively higher in men than in women.²

            Some users also often claim a caffeine-like response from beta-alanine. This may be due to its chemical structure—a hybrid between L-glycine, a potent neurotransmitter and GABA.² Weight training may be very exhausting and at the beginning of the routine, one can feel tired already. The kick in the caffeine-like effect helps in making an individual more awake and alert; thus, allowing him or her to endure the routine in weight training with personal trainer in bundaberg.

            It has also been known that beta-alanine is most effective in exercise that lasts longer than 60 seconds.² Thus, weight training that utilizes shorter duration bouts may greatly benefit with beta-alanine. This may be due the highest demand required in ATP-phophocreatine energy mechanisms.

            Kern and Robinson in 2009 studied the effects of beta-alanine supplementation on the performance and body composition in collegiate wrestlers and football players. The results showed that beta-alanine supplementation may have augmented performance and stimulated lean mass accrual in eight weeks in these trained athletes. They further stated that “beta-alanine may magnify the expected performance outcomes of training programs with different metabolic demands.⁴

                These studies have been supporting beta-alanine and its effects on exercise and performance. Thus, it is recommended to fitness enthusiasts who are into high-intensity bodybuilding-style training program.²

Are There Possible Side Effects?

            The use of beta-alanine has been proven more positively by scientific studies as presented earlier. However, if we talk on possible side effects, it has been known that beta-alanine is very well tolerated in all studies.¹ If ever there will be side effects, they are not serious. Paresthesia or the  prickling sensation may be one of the possible side effects and can be counteracted by taking beta-alanine with carbohydrates.¹

In Summary:

            Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid that can be used as a supplement and may benefit people who are into weight training. It has antioxidant properties that increase the levels of carnosine which in turn aids in protecting the muscle to fatigue due to accumulation of Hydrogen ions (H+) during exercise.

            Structurally, beta-alanine is similar to certain neurotransmitters, which can explain its caffeine-like effect. This effect is beneficial for weight training to further combat fatigue during the routine.

            Finally, beta-alanine is safe and guaranteed by studies to have advantageous effects for fitness enthusiasts. Therefore, it is highly recommended for those who are into bodybuilding and weight training.

REFERENCES:

¹http://www.pharmacistanswers.com/beta-alanine-supplementation-for-exercise-performance.html

²Lockwood (2012) ‘Your Expert Guide to Beta-alanine’ http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/your-expert-guide-to-beta-alanine.html . Accessed: 06/20/14.

³Hill et al (2007) ‘Influence of Beta-alanine Supplementation on Skeletal Muscle Carnosine Concentrations and High Intensity Cycling Capacity’ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16868650 . Accessed: 06/20/14.

⁴Kern B and Tracey Robinson (2009) ‘Effects of Beta-alanine Supplementation on Performance and Body Composition in Collegiate Wrestlers and Football Players’  http://www.jissn.com/content/6/S1/P2 . Accessed: 06/20/14.