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Beta-alanine: A revolution in pre-workout supplementation
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By James Collier BSc (Hons) RNutr, Nutrition Consultant www.healthyaction.co.uk
Beta-alanine is a supplement which is becoming increasingly popular on its own or as part of other workout-boosting formulas. It has been shown to have a positive effect on anaerobic endurance through its ability to 'buffer' hydrogen ions and therefore delay the onset of lactic acidosis in the muscle cell. Anaerobic metabolism is where muscle contracts without oxygen and lactic acid is the end product. It is this which gives us 'the pump' and, when levels are high enough, denotes the end of a set.
The state of 'acidosis' is actually reached from anaerobic metabolism as a result of a build up of hydrogen ions within the muscles. Hydrogen ions are released as a result of various metabolic processes within a working muscle cell and as the level of hydrogen goes up, pH levels in the muscles drop leading to a more acidic environment. However, not only does this state of acidosis give rise to the painful burning feeling we experience towards the end of a set, but the acidic environment is also thought to have a negative effect on the ability of the muscle cells to continue to contract, ultimately leading to temporary muscular failure (TMF). This sequence of events is often incorrectly thought of as being a result of the build up of lactic acid in the working muscle, but it's actually the build up of hydrogen ions that produces this pattern leading up to muscular failure.
So, supplementing with beta-alanine allows you to perform more work and more reps before you reach muscular failure (hence its positive effect on muscular endurance) by helping to 'buffer' these hydrogen ions as they are produced.
Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? But now let's confuse the issue as it's not really beta-alanine that imparts this benefit, it's another amino acid known as carnosine. After ingestion, supplemental beta-alanine is converted to carnosine in the body and it is actually carnosine which is responsible for this buffering effect. Carnosine is already present in your blood and is synthesised from other amino acids from foods we eat. Sports scientists have known of the role carnosine plays in the buffering of hydrogen ions in the muscle cell for some time and the idea of increasing circulating carnosine levels to help enhance this buffering effect is not a new one.
For a time athletes supplemented with additional carnosine, but this didn't prove very effective at raising circulating carnosine levels as the body actually breaks down ingested carnosine into beta-alanine and the amino acid histidine before re-synthesizing these two amino acids back into carnosine! A process which is quite wasteful and studies indicated that supplementing with additional carnosine didn't lead to a very great increase in the amount of circulating carnosine, nor did it lead to improved performance.
Supplementing with beta-alanine, therefore, leads to an increase in circulating carnosine, which helps to soak up excess hydrogen ions, thus reducing the onset of muscular acidosis and TMF. Beta-alanine is a very exciting and promising workout aid supplement. It's used by some as part of a pre-workout stack, offering synergistic benefits which are extremely useful in delaying the onset of fatigue.
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By James Collier BSc (Hons) RNutr, Nutrition Consultant www.healthyaction.co.uk
Beta-alanine is a supplement which is becoming increasingly popular on its own or as part of other workout-boosting formulas. It has been shown to have a positive effect on anaerobic endurance through its ability to 'buffer' hydrogen ions and therefore delay the onset of lactic acidosis in the muscle cell. Anaerobic metabolism is where muscle contracts without oxygen and lactic acid is the end product. It is this which gives us 'the pump' and, when levels are high enough, denotes the end of a set.
The state of 'acidosis' is actually reached from anaerobic metabolism as a result of a build up of hydrogen ions within the muscles. Hydrogen ions are released as a result of various metabolic processes within a working muscle cell and as the level of hydrogen goes up, pH levels in the muscles drop leading to a more acidic environment. However, not only does this state of acidosis give rise to the painful burning feeling we experience towards the end of a set, but the acidic environment is also thought to have a negative effect on the ability of the muscle cells to continue to contract, ultimately leading to temporary muscular failure (TMF). This sequence of events is often incorrectly thought of as being a result of the build up of lactic acid in the working muscle, but it's actually the build up of hydrogen ions that produces this pattern leading up to muscular failure.
So, supplementing with beta-alanine allows you to perform more work and more reps before you reach muscular failure (hence its positive effect on muscular endurance) by helping to 'buffer' these hydrogen ions as they are produced.
Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? But now let's confuse the issue as it's not really beta-alanine that imparts this benefit, it's another amino acid known as carnosine. After ingestion, supplemental beta-alanine is converted to carnosine in the body and it is actually carnosine which is responsible for this buffering effect. Carnosine is already present in your blood and is synthesised from other amino acids from foods we eat. Sports scientists have known of the role carnosine plays in the buffering of hydrogen ions in the muscle cell for some time and the idea of increasing circulating carnosine levels to help enhance this buffering effect is not a new one.
For a time athletes supplemented with additional carnosine, but this didn't prove very effective at raising circulating carnosine levels as the body actually breaks down ingested carnosine into beta-alanine and the amino acid histidine before re-synthesizing these two amino acids back into carnosine! A process which is quite wasteful and studies indicated that supplementing with additional carnosine didn't lead to a very great increase in the amount of circulating carnosine, nor did it lead to improved performance.
Supplementing with beta-alanine, therefore, leads to an increase in circulating carnosine, which helps to soak up excess hydrogen ions, thus reducing the onset of muscular acidosis and TMF. Beta-alanine is a very exciting and promising workout aid supplement. It's used by some as part of a pre-workout stack, offering synergistic benefits which are extremely useful in delaying the onset of fatigue.