What are the benefits of beta alanine?

Before talking about the benefits of beta alanine, there is a need to introduce some basic information about it. Beta-amino acid is the amino acid that combines the amino group with the beta-carbon atom. Beta-alanine, the only naturally existing beta-amino acid, is an organic compound with colorless crystals. 

Beta-alanine is soluble in water, slightly soluble in ethanol, and insoluble in ether and acetone, which contains a sour taste if they are produced by biological methods. Other beta-amino acids besides beta-alanine are synthesized. Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid that is very important for the physiological function of the human body.

What are the benefits of beta alanine?

1. The supplementation of beta-alanine can increase creatine concentration in muscle tissue, thereby delaying muscle fatigue and improving exercise endurance. The main function of beta-alanine is to promote the levels of carnosine in muscles by about eighty percent, resulting in increasing overall performance in the activity of sports.

2. Explosive power and strength can be improved by taking the supplementation of beta-alanine. However, the ISSN says, "This result that beta-alanine increases strength during training has not been proven exactly, but it really can increase the amount of training." So this benefit of beta alanine still needs to be studied further.

3. Beta-alanine can be changed into alanine in the process of metabolism. This process is very helpful to neutralize lactic acid and keep acid-base balance in muscle tissue during high-intensity exercise. 

4. It is useful for the person who has cardiovascular health because it has the function of reducing blood pressure, and increasing endurance when taking beta-alanine supplementation.

5. Beta-alanine can play the role of an antioxidant in the body. So it can fight against damage to cells and tissue by reducing the oxidative stress reaction caused by free radicals.

6. The supplementation of beta-alanine can improve muscle endurance in older adults with 55 to 92 years old. The National Center for BioInformatics conducted research showing that taking beta-alanine for 90 days can improve physical endurance by postponing the beginning of neuromuscular fatigue in older people

How to use beta-alanine?

The most practical supplement regimen is to consume 1600 mg of beta-alanine in 3 main meals and the largest additional meal per day for athletes. That is to say, 6400 mg of beta alanine per day is evenly distributed over four meals. This may reduce the incidence and severity of abnormal sensations, such as tingling sensations, in the body. The content of carnosine in the body can be improved to the maximum through simultaneous intake of beta-alanine in the diet, thereby improving athlete compliance.

We can consider supplementing with beta-alanine before high-intensity activities or when you need to maximize performance before a race, such as events lasting 30 seconds to 10 minutes, which contains rowing, swimming, track cycling, and middle-distance running. This view is supported and confirmed by the ISSN in their position literature on beta-alanine. They state that "Long-term supplementation of beta-alanine can improve performance in high-intensity exercise by increasing carnosine content in muscles." 

The matters needing attention when taking beta-alanine

Though there are many benefits of beta alanine, there are some notices that we should pay attention to. Supplementation of more than 800-1600 mg of beta-alanine in a single dose can cause paraesthesia, which is an uncomfortable tingling sensation on the skin and may last up to an hour. For the beta-alanine supplement program, because of the low efficiency of carnosine increase, beta-alanine products may be expensive and require a large amount of capital investment. 

Therefore, athletes should ensure that they are using a well-established set of complementary protocols and applying them to situations where there is evidence or a strong hypothesis to improve performance. Considering that beta-alanine supplements can improve the training capacity of sprint-interval training, athletes should consider the possibility of an increased risk of injury, illness, or overtraining fatigue.

Conclusion: 

Finally, we want to conclude the theme of “What are the benefits of beta-alanine”. It is the only naturally existing amino acid and plays a vital role in the normal function of the body. For example, beta-alanine can fight against acidic environments, Improve cardiovascular health, improve the endurance of the muscle, and increase creatine concentration in muscle tissue. So it has been widely applied in the field of Sports competition.