Effect of creatine and beta-alanine supplementation on perfo

[Gregor]

Effect of creatine and beta-alanine supplementation on performance and endocrine responses in strength/power athletes.

Hoffman J, Ratamess N, Kang J, Mangine G, Faigenbaum A, Stout J.

Dept. of Health and Exercise Science, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08628, USA.

The effects of creatine and creatine plus beta-alanine on strength, power, body composition, and endocrine changes were examined during a 10-wk resistance training program in collegiate football players. Thirty-three male subjects were randomly assigned to either a placebo (P), creatine ©, or creatine plus beta-alanine (CA) group. During each testing session subjects were assessed for strength (maximum bench press and squat), power (Wingate anaerobic power test, 20-jump test), and body composition. Resting blood samples were analyzed for total testosterone, cortisol, growth hormone, IGF-1, and *** hormone binding globulin. Changes in lean body mass and percent body fat were greater (P < 0.05) in CA compared to C or P. Significantly greater strength improvements were seen in CA and C compared to P. Resting testosterone concentrations were elevated in C, however, no other significant endocrine changes were noted. Results of this study demonstrate the efficacy of creatine and creatine plus beta-alanine on strength performance. Creatine plus beta-alanine supplementation appeared to have the greatest effect on lean tissue accruement and body fat composition.

[Gregor]

Beta-Alanine: Science Meets Real World Results

By Sebastian Balcombe, BSE, Ash Batheja, MPT, CSCS, and Anssi Manninen, MHS

With literally hundreds of different supplements available and so many that are based on bogus claims and ridiculous hype, it’s a challenge to find even one that delivers results. If you’ve rummaged through the garbage of the supplement scrap heap, you know how difficult it is to find solid science or real-world proof.

Beta-alanine is an exception. This supplement actually lives up to its claims beta-alanine efficacy is backed by major university, peer-reviewed studies performed on humans, not the typical cell or rat studies upon which many supplement manufacturers generally base claims. The science behind beta-alanine makes sense and it works. In reading this article, you will understand how beta-alanine works. You will also learn how to maximize its use and how it can help you safely work out much harder and longer. Used properly, beta-alanine can take your training and results to new levels, helping you set personal records and add lean mass.

Below is a list of the benefits of beta-alanine. Next, you will find the supporting details that set beta-alanine apart from the many other ineffective supplements that rely on clever marketing jargon and pseudoscience to confuse you.

Benefits of Beta-Alanine as supported by Scientific Studies

Boosts explosive muscular strength and power output

Increases lean muscle mass

Boosts muscular anaerobic endurance

Increases aerobic endurance

Increases exercise capacity so you can train harder and longer

History of Beta-Alanine

Although only recently brought to the forefront, beta-alanine was discovered over 100 years ago. Also known as 3-aminopropanoic acid, it is a non-essential amino acid and is the only naturally occurring beta-amino acid. Not to be confused with alanine, beta- alanine is classified as a non-proteinogenic amino acid as it is not used in the building of proteins.

The greatest natural dietary sources of beta-alanine are believed to be obtained through ingesting the beta-alanine containing dipeptides: carnosine, anserine and balenine, rather than directly ingesting beta-alanine. These dipeptides are commonly found in protein rich foods such as chicken, beef, pork and fish. However, obtaining beta-alanine through these dipeptides is not the only way, as our bodies can synthesize it in the liver from the catabolism of pyrimidine nucleotides which are broken down into uracil and thymine and then metabolized into beta-alanine and B-aminoisobutyrate. Of course, it can also be ingested through direct supplementation which is the focus of this article.

Recently, researchers began studying beta-alanine and examining its effects on exercise performance and lean body mass. We owe a great deal of credit and respect to the scientists who are in the trenches doing the work and publishing the research on beta-alanine. If it wasn’t for them, great supplements like beta-alanine and creatine might never have seen the light of day. Their ongoing research has revealed how to properly use these compounds and how to safely and effectively maximize their benefits.

One of the key scientists pioneering the performance research on beta-alanine is Dr. Roger Harris. His name may or may not sound familiar, but it should, as he is the same man that brought creatine to the bodybuilding world with his groundbreaking study in 1992. It looks like the good doctor has found another juggernaut of a supplement in beta-alanine. However, he is not alone. In the last two years, highly respected research scientist Dr.Jeffrey Stout has been in a frenzy publishing and compiling research on beta-alanine and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. Other notable researchers who have been publishing research on beta-alanine include Dr. Hill, Dr. Kim and Dr. Tallon.

How Does Beta-Alanine Work?

The support of high caliber researchers speaks volumes about the efficacy of beta-alanine and the science itself is even more impressive. Much of beta-alanine’s effects are realized by boosting the synthesis of carnosine, a dipeptide (two amino acids) intracellular (inside the cell) buffer. To understand how beta-alanine works, you must first understand its connection to carnosine. It is by boosting carnosine levels that beta-alanine exerts its performance benefits.

History and Background of Carnosine

The Russian scientist Gulewitsch was the first to identify carnosine in 1900. Eleven years later, he would discover and identify its constituent amino acids, beta-alanine and histidine. Seven years later, Barger and Tutin and Baumann and Ingvaldsen confirmed Gulewitsch’s findings. However, it wasn’t until 1938 that the first research on carnosine and its effects on muscle buffering were published.

Carnosine is found in both type 1 and type 2 muscle fibers, though in significantly higher concentrations in type 2 fibers (the fibers we primarily use in high intensity strength workouts and which are most responsive to growth). Before we discuss how carnosine works, you must first have a general understanding of what is physiologically occurring during exercise. Specifically, what is negatively affecting muscular pH, making us weaker and causing fatigue?

Hydrogen Ions are Released During Exercise, Causing Performance to Plummet

When we exercise, especially when it’s high intensity exercise, our bodies accumulate a large amount of hydrogen ions (H+), causing our muscles’ pH to drop (become more acidic). This process is occurring whether you feel a burn or not.

The breakdown of ATP and the subsequent rise in H+ concentrations occur in all of our energy systems but H+ buildup is most prevalent in an energy system called glycolysis, which also produces lactic acid. At physiological pH, lactic acid dissociates H+ and is the primary source of released H+ ions during exercise, causing pH to drop. It is the released H+ from lactic acid that causes muscular performance problems, not the leftover lactate ions as many incorrectly believe. While lactic acid is the primary source of released H+, it is not the only source. H+ ions are also being released at a rapid rate when you break down the high energy compound ATP during exercise. With the presence of many sources during energy production releasing H+, pH quickly drops as does muscular performance, slowing progress and lean muscle gains.

How Does Carnosine Work?

There are a handful of ways carnosine is thought to impact performance but its most studied function, and the focus of this article, is its role as an intracellular buffer. Carnosine helps stabilize muscular pH by soaking up hydrogen ions (H+) that are released at an accelerated rate during exercise.

Our bodies work to keep our pH in balance by utilizing various buffering systems. Buffers largely work by soaking up H+ to maintain optimal pH balance, which we need to function most effectively. As mentioned above, our muscles function best in a specific pH range. When pH drops below that range, so does muscular performance. By helping to keep us in a more optimal pH range, our muscles can continue to contract forcibly for a longer time.

There are a handful of buffering systems that work in our bodies. Some maintain pH in extra cellular fluids (ECF) outside of the cell, while others perform their duties in intracellular fluids (ICF) inside the cell and some perform in both. Our focus in this article is on exercise performance and, as mentioned above, the primary source of H+ released during exercise is from lactic acid and ATP breakdown. Take a guess where this breakdown and release of H+ is occurring? If you guessed inside our muscles or intracellular, you would be correct. As a result, the first line of defense in absorbing the H+ is going to be the cell from intracellular buffers such as carnosine, not from extra cellular buffers.

Aside from carnosine being just where we need it, buffering H+ inside our cells, it has additional, unique attributes that make it really shine. Carnosine is unique; in that, other natural buffering systems our bodies use are also used in many other cellular reactions aside from buffering, watering down much of their buffering abilities. However, what makes carnosine really exciting, is that by supplementing with extra beta-alanine, we can specifically and dramatically increase carnosine levels. How much, you ask?

Researchers have shown that when supplementing with beta-alanine for just 4 weeks, we can increase our carnosine concentration by 42-65%. Longer beta-alanine studies going up to 10-12 weeks, show carnosine concentrations increased up to 80%. This is a tremendous increase in an already powerful intracellular buffer. It is this large increase in buffering capacity within our muscles that is largely responsible for the strength, lean body mass, power and muscular endurance gains that researchers are seeing from beta-alanine studies.

Frequently Asked Questions on Beta-Alanine and Carnosine

Is beta-alanine safe?

While this is not a frequently asked question, it should be. We understand many people care most about gaining muscle, looking great and performing at their best but safety should not be overlooked. We believe it should actually be the first question asked when considering a new supplement, even before you question efficacy.

The answer to the safety question is a resounding yes. Studies, going up to 12 weeks of continued beta-alanine use, have looked at a large array of blood biochemical, hematological and hormonal markers and no negative changes have occurred whatsoever. While it is impossible to say beta-alanine is one hundred percent safe until longer term studies are complete, we do know that up to 12 weeks of continued beta-alanine supplementation is indeed safe.

Why not just take Carnosine instead of Beta-Alanine?

When you ingest carnosine intact, most of it is broken down in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract into its constituent amino acids, beta-alanine and histidine. Some intact carnosine does escape the GI tract freely but even that amount is quickly broken down in our blood by the enzyme carnosinase. In a very short time, all the carnosine you just ingested is either eliminated or broken down into beta-alanine and histidine. These two amino acids are then taken into the muscle, where they are converted back into carnosine with the help of the enzyme carnosine synthetase.

Unfortunately, only about 40% of the carnosine you take actually contains beta-alanine, making it an inefficient source at best. You are better off, from both efficiency and a financial standpoint, taking beta-alanine directly. You would have to take substantially more carnosine just to approach the increased concentrations of carnosine achieved by taking the scientifically recommended dose of beta-alanine.Clearly, taking beta-alanine is the superior solution to increasing carnosine levels.

How do we know Beta-Alanine is actually increasing carnosine levels?

Researchers have proven it by actually taking muscle biopsies (using a hollow needle to remove a small sample of muscle tissue) prior to the study and at various time points throughout the study. What they found is that beta-alanine does, in fact, effectively and significantly increase carnosine concentrations in the range of 42-80%, depending on the dosing and duration of the study.

Shouldn’t I take extra histidine along with Beta-Alanine since histidine is a component of carnosine?

Probably no. Histidine is already present in high concentrations in muscle, while beta-alanine is only present only in small amounts. Researchers have determined that it is beta-alanine that drives carnosine synthesis, not histidine. Since this has been proven repeatedly in research, there is no need to supplement with extra histidine to increase carnosine levels. There are potentially some select populations like vegans, vegetarians or the elderly that may not get enough histidine in their diets and are thus deficient, which may compromise optimal carnosine levels. But, we still don’t recommend taking just extra histidine with beta-alanine. Instead, we recommend these groups and simply bump up their total protein intake which will in turn solve their possible histidine deficiency. For the majority of healthy people, only beta-alanine is needed as histidine deficiency is rare and no extra supplementation is needed to increase carnosine concentrations.

At what point during my workout set will extra carnosine concentrations exert their strongest effects?

Boosting carnosine levels with beta-alanine is effective at all points during your set, whether you’re lifting heavy or doing endurance work. Your body uses three energy systems to perform work: the ATP-PC system, which is primarily used during heavy lifting and for sets up into the 5-6 rep range; the glycolytic system, which is predominantly used roughly within the 7-15 rep range and up; and the oxidative/fat system, which is used primarily in endurance training. Our energy systems are utilized simultaneously; however, depending on the level of intensity or duration of exercise and fitness levels of the individual, certain energy systems will become more dominant in producing energy needed for that activity. Anybody who trains with weights will primarily use the first two systems and, in both cases, the build-up of hydrogen ions will contribute to fatigue in both systems, especially glycolysis.

This is where the supplement creatine falls a little short. It is mostly effective in the ATP-PC system, which relies on stored ATP and re-synthesis using phosphocreatine (PC) for intense, high-energy contractions. Taking creatine will help your explosive strength but it won’t help you much in the 7-15 rep range. As anyone trying to build bigger muscles knows, you must train in both heavy and moderate (7-15 reps) ranges to maximize muscle mass gains. Beta-alanine, by increasing carnosine concentrations, can buffer/fight the H+ build-up that occurs in both these ranges, allowing you to maintain forceful contractions for longer periods of time.

Decreasing cellular fatigue is an additional strength of beta-alanine. A recent study demonstrates that beta-alanine outperformed creatine in decreasing cellular fatigue, giving it yet another advantage over what has been considered the most effective sport supplement of the last decade. With beta-alanine yielding impressive results in university performance studies, creatine’s days at the top may be numbered.

Does beta-alanine replace creatine?

Beta-alanine does not replace creatine. As shown above, they work differently and creatine is still effective for maximizing strength and power. If anything, they should be taken together as the ultimate one-two punch.

How much beta-alanine is needed to cause performance increases?

Research has shown that you can take an amount between 3.2 grams and 6.4 grams per day to significantly boost carnosine levels and improve performance. The most recent research, now using 4-5 grams a day, is showing comparable carnosine concentration and performance improvements to those using 6.4g daily.

Who can benefit from beta-alanine?

Individuals participating in weight training looking to gain lean body mass and increase strength.

Any individual involved in athletic activities where strength, power and muscular endurance are needed.

Active individuals who have reached a training plateau and are looking for a supplement to take them to the next level

How long will it take to start noticing benefits?

Performance benefits typically occur in as little as two weeks, although some individuals will notice benefits within one week. As carnosine levels increase, the benefits will follow. The most dramatic results are generally experienced within the 3-4 week range but they don’t stop there. Recent research is now showing carnosine levels continue to increase for a minimum of 12 weeks which is why we recommend staying on beta-alanine for at least three months to optimize your carnosine levels.

Immediate benefits: Many users experience intense vasodilation/pumps from the very first dose of beta-alanine. This experience occurs because beta-alanine increases carnosine and carnosine is a powerful precursor in generating nitric oxide synthase (a group of enzymes necessary for making the powerful vasodilator nitric oxide).

Are there any methods that may increase beta-alanine’s ability to increase carnosine levels?

Yes. A recent study showed that a group of subjects taking Beta-Alanine with carbohydrates increased performance gains in half the time of the group taking an equal amount of beta-alanine without carbohydrates. Carbohydrates spike insulin and one of insulin’s effects is to increase amino acid (such as beta-alanine) transport into our cells.

While not research supported as of yet, taking Beta-Alanine pre-workout and post-workout may increase the uptake of Beta-Alanine into our muscles. Amino acid nutrient timing studies have clearly shown when amino acids are ingested Pre-Workout and Post-Workout, their uptake into our muscle is increased. The improved uptake is largely due to increased blood flow during exercise.

What is the prickling I feel when I first take Beta-Alanine?

The prickling - called parathesia - is caused by beta-alanine binding to nerve receptors, activating them and causing them to discharge/fire. Many of these nerves are below the skin, giving a prickling/pins-and-needles sensation. This sensation begins approximately 15-20 minutes after ingesting beta-alanine and usually continues for 1-1.5 hours. The intensity varies depending on dosing, individual sensitivity and potentially from activators of Ca2+ channels, such as caffeine. This sensation, though generally enjoyed, often subsides over a few weeks of continued use. Carbohydrates/food may also blunt the prickling effect from beta-alanine.

If I don’t feel the prickling does that mean beta alanine isn’t working on me?

The prickling sensation does not occur at all in some individuals, even when taking 4-6 grams of beta-alanine at one time. Do not worry if you are in this group. The prickling is NOT a sign that beta-alanine is working or being absorbed by your muscles and converted to carnosine. If you are feeling nothing, you need not be concerned as it is still increasing your carnosine stores as research has repeatedly shown.

A good example of this phenomenon is when combining carbohydrates with beta-alanine. Not only do carbohydrates blunt much of the prickling sensations, they also increase beta-alanine's performance gains faster than beta-alanine without carbohydrates.

Another good example is comparing studies that measure carnosine concentrations using multiple small 800 mg doses of beta-alanine vs. studies using multiple doses of 1.6 g of beta-alanine. The total daily amount of beta-alanine ingested is similar and the duration of the studies using both dosage strategies is matched up as well. 800 mg is low enough to cause little to no prickling, based off feedback from both research and anecdotal, where as 1.6 g can cause quite a lot.The outcome of both studies showed carnosine concentrations were very similar.

Is taking taurine at the same time as beta-alanine going to stop beta-alanine from boosting carnosine and performance levels?

While there is certainly potential for problems when taking these two together (they share the same transporter into tissues), it hasn’t yet been supported in the research to any level of significance. In fact, a recent study by Dr. Harris, showed that the increase in muscle carnosine with beta-alanine was not reduced when taurine was taken along with it.

We could get into the biochemistry of why taking taurine with beta-alanine may not seem like a good idea but we have a more simple and conclusive explanation just in case you wanted more proof to support Dr. Harris’s study. Since there is a group of studies that used either beta-alanine by itself or beta-alanine with taurine, we examined them to determine if there were any differences in the resulting carnosine concentrations. While more research is always needed, there are quite a few beta-alanine vs. beta-alanine plus taurine studies, and their outcomes are all the same. There is little to no difference in carnosine concentrations. In other words, taurine does not appear to inhibit beta-alanine from being absorbed, otherwise carnosine levels would have been lower in the beta-alanine plus taurine studies.

Closing Remarks

We hope our article has given you a much better understanding of how beta-alanine works and why it is so effective. It truly is the next tier in sports nutrition and we may not see anything as effective for 10-15 years, just as it was with creatine. Look for beta-alanine to grow in popularity as more people experience the power first hand and beta-alanine rises to the forefront in sport’s performance university research.

[Gregor]

Beta-alanine supplementation and high-intensity interval training augments metabolic adaptations and endurance performance in college-aged men

Abbie E Smith email, Ashley A Walter, Kristina L Kendall, Jennifer L Graef, Christopher M Lockwood, Jordan R Moon, Travis W Beck, Joel T Cramer and Jeffery R Stout FISSN Department of Health & Exercise Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA

Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2008, 5(Suppl 1):P5doi:10.1186/1550-2783-5-S1-P5

Background

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to evaluate the effects β-alanine supplementation and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on endurance performance.

Methods

Forty-six college-aged men (Age: 22.2 ± 3.3 yrs, VO2peak: 42.6 ± 6.2 ml·kg·min-1, 3.3 ± 0.6 l·min-1) volunteered to participate. In a random fashion, all subjects were placed into one of three groups: placebo (PL – 16.5 g of flavored dextrose powder per packet; n = 18), β-alanine (BA – 1.5 g β-alanine plus 15 g of flavored dextrose powder per packet; n = 18) or control (n = 10) groups. Each treatment group ingested one packet 4 times per day (total of 6 g/day) for the first 21-day adaptation phase, followed by 2 times per day (3 g/day) for the subsequent 21 days. All participants performed a continuous VO2peak test on a cycle ergometer (Corval Lode, Gronigen, the Netherlands) which was further used to establish ventilatory threshold (VT), and total time to exhaustion (VO2TTE, seconds) at pre-, mid- and post-testing. Total work done (TWD) was also measured, calculated from the total time (T; seconds) completed at a workload corresponding to 110% of their maximal power output (watt, W) determined from the VO2peak test [TWD (kJ) = (T × W)/1000]. Following initial testing, all participants in the BA and PL groups engaged in a 3 week supplementing and training adaptation phase. Each training session in the adaptation phase consisted of 5 bouts of a 2:1 minute cycling work to rest ratio, introduced in an undulating progression starting at 90% VO2peak power output and reaching 110%. The second 3 week training phase progressed, reaching intensities up to 115% of VO2peak. Body composition was assessed using air displacement plethysmography (Bod Pod®) at pre- mid- and post-testing. Separate one-way analyses of covariance were used to identify and group (BA vs. PL. vs. CON) × time (Mid- vs. Post-) interactions, adjusting mean post-test values for differences in the mid-test scores, due to the supplementing and training adaptation phase.

Results: There was a significant difference among all post-test GXT variables (VO2peak, VO2TTE, and VT) and TWD, after adjusting for the mid-test adaptation values (p ≤ 0.000). However, there were no differences between treatment group means. Individual responses indicated a greater number of the BA participants improving in VO2peak (83%) and VO2TTE (72%) performance over the PL group (61% and 56%, respectively). Furthermore, bonferroni-corrected post-hoc pairwise comparisons indicated the significant increases in TWD were greater for the BA group than the CON (p = 0.029). There were no significant changes in body composition following training and supplementing.

Conclusion: Three weeks of combined β-alanine supplementation and HIIT, following a 21-day β-alanine loading and HIIT adaptation phase, significantly improves aerobic performance. The improvements in performance may be attributed to a greater reliance on aerobic metabolism due to chronic adaptations to HIIT, in combination with an improved muscle buffering capacity as a result of an increase in intramuscular carnosine levels.

NAJPREJ SO JEMALI 21 DNI PO 6G/DAN IN KASNEJE 21 DNI PO 3 G/DAN. HIIT TIP TRENINGA.BETA ALANIN JE POVEÄŒAL AEROBNO SPOSOBNOST.

Beta-Alanine and the Hormonal Response to Exercise.

Hoffman J, Ratamess NA, Ross R, Kang J, Magrelli J, Neese K, Faigenbaum AD, Wise JA.

Health and Exercise Science, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, New Jersey, United States.

Int J Sports Med. 2008 Jun 11. [Epub ahead of print]

The effect of 30 days of beta-alanine supplementation (4.8 g per day) on resistance exercise performance and endocrine changes was examined in eight experienced resistance-trained men. An acute resistance exercise protocol consisting of 6 sets of 12 repetitions of the squat exercise at 70 % of one-repetition maximum (1-RM) with 1.5 minutes of rest between sets was performed before and after each supplemental period. Blood draws occurred at baseline (BL), immediate (IP), 15-minutes (15P) and 30-minutes (30P) postexercise for growth hormone, testosterone and cortisol concentrations. A 22 % (p < 0.05) difference in total number of repetitions performed at the end of 4 weeks of supplementation was seen between beta-alanine (BA) and placebo (PL), and Delta mean power was greater in BA (98.4 +/- 43.8 w) vs. PL (7.2 +/- 29.6 w). Growth hormone concentrations were elevated from BL at IP and 15P for both groups, while cortisol concentrations were greater than BL at all time points for both BA and PL. No group differences were noted. No change from BL was seen in testosterone concentrations for either group. Results indicate that four weeks of beta-alanine supplementation can significantly improve muscular endurance during resistance training in experienced resistance-trained athletes. However, these performance gains did not affect the acute endocrine response to the exercise stimulus.

[Gregor]

Supplement Superstar

Beta Alanine — The Research Keeps Comin'!

by Dr. Jeffrey R. Stout, PhD

Over the years I've studied dozens of supplements and ergogenic aids, most notable among them creatine, and when something new comes along, I find myself asking the same questions:

Does it occur naturally in the body or in foods?

When taken orally, does the body use it to its advantage, or does it combat it?

When exerting its effects, what physiological processes occur?

Do I want to use it?

If I can answer these questions simply and positively, I'm off to a good start.

Most of you know I've been shouting about the benefits of beta-alanine for a while now, but a whole bunch of exciting new research has recently been completed.

But before I show you the cool new stuff, let's take another look at how beta-alanine works. It's a non-essential amino acid found naturally in both the body and in foods such as chicken. When taken orally, it exerts the types of effects that excite scientists and make bodybuilders drool. Actually, it makes anyone who takes his or her workouts seriously start to drool — anyone who wants to be bigger, more cut, faster, or stronger that is!

Let's Review How Beta-Alanine Works

When beta-alanine enters the muscle cell, it becomes what we call the "rate limiting substrate" to carnosine synthesis. By rate limiting, we mean that without beta-alanine, carnosine does not get produced. So why is carnosine so important? Carnosine is a dipeptide found mainly in fast-twitch muscles whose primary function, as far as you and I are concerned, is buffering hydrogen ions (H+). Buffer H+, and you prevent pH levels in muscle from dropping to low levels (more acidic). Low acidity creates that "burn" in your muscles, causing fatigue and forcing you to muscular failure (also known as the end of your set). In a more acidic environment ATP is less effective and the release of calcium, a key component to muscle contraction, is hindered substantially. With higher carnosine levels in muscle, however, you can prevent the drop in pH. With H+ buffered, you continue to squeeze out reps, prolong a high intensity run, or you simply lift heavier weights for more reps.

So why not just double up on the carnosine? First of all, carnosine is not absorbed effectively in humans. When ingested and digested, only a small amount remains intact, but that in itself creates problems. The intact carnosine is hydrolyzed into histidine and beta-alanine, which is then taken up by skeletal muscle and synthesized back into carnosine.

Because of the initial hydrolysis, the ingested carnosine does not remain intact when taken up into muscle. The only value you gain by ingesting carnosine is the beta-alanine that's formed, since it's the beta-alanine that can "remake" carnosine in muscle. As such, it makes a whole lot more sense to take your beta-alanine straight!

In 1992 Dr. Roger Harris conducted a breakthrough study on creatine supplementation. He showed that you can take creatine monohydrate orally and it will find its way into your muscles. Harris is at it again, this time with beta-alanine. He showed that you can take it orally and boost your muscles' carnosine synthesis by 64%.

The researchers compared this to an actual "infusion" of intact L-carnosine and found that taking beta-alanine was just as effective! In other words, adding intact carnosine adds no further increase than what beta-alanine can give you alone.

What about histidine? They also confirmed that an infusion has no effect on carnosine synthesis. It's strictly the availability of beta-alanine that determines the amount of muscle carnosine synthesis.

Recently, scientists have demonstrated that high intensity- high volume training can significantly increase muscle carnosine concentrations in untrained subjects. In 2004, Dr. Suzuki and colleagues discovered a strong relationship between carnosine concentrations in muscle and high intensity exercise performance — the more carnosine you have in your muscle, the more you can lift, run, or bike.

But here's what's really interesting: Dr. Harris and colleagues discovered that for highly trained athletes, carnosine levels only increase with beta-alanine supplementation, not with additional training. In other words, if you work out, your carnosine levels will eventually plateau, and they aren't going to get any higher with more training. They can only be increased with beta-alanine supplementation.

How Well Does it Work? (Show Me The Science!!)

Now that we know it's much more effective physiologically (and financially) to take beta-alanine instead of carnosine, let's take a look at some studies. First, we need to know if beta-alanine supplementation can really increase carnosine levels, and if so, how effectively and how fast.

Harris speculates that at normal levels, carnosine contributes to roughly 20% of the buffering capacity in muscle. He believes if you can double carnosine levels with beta-alanine supplementation, you also double your muscles' buffering capacity.

The Harris study I mentioned above reported an impressive 64% rise in muscle carnosine levels. This occurred after just four weeks of supplementing 4 to 6 grams per day of beta-alanine. After ten weeks, however, carnosine levels had risen 80%. (Similar to creatine, beta-alanine takes a little time to build up in muscle.) Interestingly, the sharp rise in carnosine levels was present across all muscle fiber types - Type I, IIa, and IIb (slow and fast twitch). This would lend further credibility to the belief that beta-alanine can benefit all types of athletes, regardless of their mode or intensity of exercise.

Another study, by Dr. Hill and colleagues, examined the effect of beta-alanine supplementation on muscle carnosine levels and exercise performance in untrained men. In double-blind fashion, twenty male subjects (19-31years) supplemented either 4.0g beta-alanine or a sugar placebo for the first week, then up to 6.4g for an additional nine weeks. By week four, mean carnosine levels increased by 58%. Six weeks later, they rose another 15%. As for performance, the researchers also recorded a 16% increase in total work capacity during cycle ergometry.

Beta-Alanine vs. Creatine

My colleagues and I recently examined the effects of beta-alanine and/or creatine supplementation on physical working capacity at fatigue threshold (PWCFT) in untrained young men. The male subjects (19 — 30 years) consumed either:

1) 1.6g of beta-alanine 4 times per day for 6 days, then 3.2 grams per day for 22 days.

2) 5g creatine monohydrate 4 times per day for 6 days, then 10 grams per day for 22 days.

3) Beta-alanine and creatine Combo.

4) Placebo (maltodextrin).

The results revealed a 28.8%, 11.3%, and 11.0% increase in PWCFT for the beta-alanine, creatine, and the combo, respectively. Very Impressive! Beta-Alanine increased PWCFT 61% greater than creatine on just roughly 3.2 grams a day.

Bottom line: creatine just got its *** kicked when it comes to delaying fatigue!

Effects of Beta-Alanine in Women

To date, all of the research has been conducted on men. Therefore, my colleagues and I wanted to determine the effects of beta-alanine on women. We decided to examine ventilatory (anaerobic) threshold, physical working capacity at fatigue threshold, (PWCFT) and time to exhaustion during a fatiguing cycle ergometer test.

Ventilatory (anaerobic) threshold is the point where lactic acid production exceeds its absorption, you feel a significant burn, and you can no longer maintain a high exercising intensity. It's a great measure of endurance and aerobic fitness.

Once you've reached your ventilatory threshold, your ability to maintain an aerobic/endurance workout rapidly declines. You enter anaerobic training, which for an endurance athlete, is the final chapter of a workout, so to speak. Obviously, if you can increase this threshold, you have immediately become a better endurance competitor, lasting longer at a high intensity.

The female subjects (19 — 36 years) consumed 800 mg. of either beta-alanine or placebo 4 times per day for 7 days. The dosage was then increased to 1,600 mg. 4 times per day for 21 days.The dosage per body weight was 24% higher than any previous study using males. The results showed a 14%, 12.5% and 3% increase in ventilatory threshold, PWCFT, and time to exhaustion, respectively. There was no change in the placebo group.

To any scientist or endurance enthusiast, this change in anaerobic threshold (without training) is shocking. It's the kind of effect that can immediately "create" a better endurance athlete!

The Effects of Adding Beta-Alanine to Creatine on Muscle Mass, Fat Loss, Strength, and Performance

Now that you're an expert on he mechanisms behind the effects of beta-alanine, you're probably wondering whether combining it with creatine might make for a dynamic and explosive combination. Dr. Hoffman and Colleagues recently examined this and reported some interesting, if not surprising, results. Dr. Hoffman assembled a highly trained group of 33 college football players and split them into three groups: a creatine group that took 5g twice daily; a creatine and beta-alanine group that took the same amount of creatine but with 1.6g of beta-alanine twice daily; and a placebo group, who took nothing.

Prior to and following the 10-week study, the researchers measured the athletes' body composition, body weight, one-repetition maximum in the bench press and squat, and had them keep a log of their dietary intake.

All were placed on a weight training program that included all the usual suspects: bench press, squat, deadlift, power clean, incline press and fly, row, etc.

Here's what they found:

When you combine creatine and beta-alanine, your training volume goes up and you get stronger. The athletes were able to knock out more reps with the same weights, and although this was the case with the other groups, it happened to a greater and more significant extent in the creatine plus beta-alanine group.

One-rep max, the strength measure, climbed significantly higher in both the supplemented groups. In the bench press, the athletes taking only creatine increased their one-rep max by an average of over 30 pounds while the creatine plus beta-alanine group saw it rise by roughly 25 pounds. The placebo group experienced an insignificant 12 pound bump.

Increases in one-rep squat max were similar. Both supplemented groups experienced significant gains: roughly 50 pounds for the creatine plus beta-alanine group and just under 50 pounds for the creatine group. For comparison, the placebo group pushed up their max a meager 10 pounds.

The most impressive results of beta-alanine, at least in this study, were its effects on lean mass gains and fat loss, effects not seen in either of the two other groups.

Only in the creatine plus beta-alanine group did the investigators record a significant increase in muscle mass, with percentage of fat dropping roughly 1.2%. This adds promise to a supplement that, until this study, could only be viewed as a performance enhancer. Fat loss is also a benefit you don't get from creatine alone.

In my estimation, it would also be interesting to see what would have happened if the authors had doubled the amount of beta-alanine to 6.4g daily, at least for the first few weeks. Since this has been shown to raise intramuscular carnosine levels higher than 3.2g daily dose used in their experiment, it might bring more impressive results in all categories of performance and body composition.

Sneak Peak at Some Study Results Soon to be Released

There have been several other studies undertaken on beta-alanine, some of which are still in press. Dr. Harris recently examined the effects of 6.4g of beta-alanine on isometric endurance and after just two weeks recorded an 11.4% increase.

He also co-authored a creatine plus beta-alanine study in which they found a nearly 40% increase in power output, significantly higher than the roughly 8% gains made by the creatine-only group. What's crazy about this study (besides me being so vague) is that the subjects were Olympic caliber athletes! More on this soon!

Conclusion

You can conclude from the preceding studies that beta alanine might be perhaps the most versatile supplement yet discovered — whether you're a bodybuilder, powerlifter, endurance athlete, or just someone who wants to get bigger, leaner, or stronger.It's a simple pathway for success: H+ increases with all types of activity, shutting off muscle contraction.

With beta-alanine we can absorb it, and can literally become "better" at every one of those activities. We can be stronger, we can run faster, we can run longer. We can lift heavier weights for more reps, and as the Hoffman study showed, we can be bigger and leaner.

I think the greatest attribute of beta-alanine is that it will benefit all types of athletes — not just bodybuilders and fitness competitors. For once, you're all shooting for the same hydrogen-ion buffering prize.

© 1998 — 2006 Testosterone, LLC. All Rights Reserved

[Gregor]

Carnosine

By: Mark Tallon

Carnosine (beta-alanyly-L-histidine) was discovered way back in 1900 showing a structure composed of a combination of two amino acids, histidine & beta-alanine. Over the past 100 or so years the focus of research has developed around assigning carnosine a biological role or biological function you may say. The search has spanned the disciplines of human physiology, biochemistry, and even neurochemistry.

But from all the documented literature it wasn't until 1995 that the first of 2 human papers were released indicating its true nature with respect to exercise performance. So what's new? Where do we go from now as regards its use? & Indeed its potential for performance enhancement? Well you're lucky this month guys, I just happen to be working in probably the most active lab in the world at this time on just these topics. So let me enlighten you and elucidate on the application of a supplement at the CUTTING EDGE of sports nutrition.

Muscle, Muscle & More Muscle...

You guessed it folks carnosine is located in relatively high concentrations in skeletal muscle but where exactly in the muscle fibre is it localized? Well first lets have a carnosine lesson 101 on how it is synthesized and taken up into the muscle cell before expanding on its preferential distribution in certain muscle fibres, including why this distribution suggests it is the perfect solution for the enhancement of high intensity exercise.

As we can see in figure I the brief pathways of carnosine biosynthesis are shown. When we eat a food containing carnosine it gets hydrolysed (broken down) to its constituent amino acids by the enzyme carnosinase, which is highly active in blood. These amino acids are then taken up into the muscle where they are reassembled or resynthesized to carnosine by carnosine synthetase.

Although both histidine and beta-alanine have a variety of functions in their own right I will focus only on the role in relation to the synthesis of carnosine. Now for the real area of interest to you strength and power athletes also the implications its role & localization in skeletal muscle may have on our performance. Its definitely the case that carnosine is preferentially located in those big boy's the type II muscle fibres 1,2. This is even more apparent in the type IIx fibres which provide us with the fast twitch characteristics needed to propel the Maurice Green's of the world to sprinting excellence, and the power to engage in high intensity resistance training. So what's the deal with carnosine and these fibre type's?

Explorers Of The Ocean Deep Pointing The Way

Although carnosine is preferential located in the type II fibres there is carnosine in type I fibres, its just the case we have double the concentration in type IIs, coincidence? Me thinks not. Suyama3 and colleagues have shown that in certain species (little piked whale) we find values of around 500 mmol.kg-1 dm (dry muscle), this value even exceeds this species muscle glycogen stores. Before you think I have gone mad & check you haven't LOGGED on to fishing weekly rather than bodybuildingcom, there is a good reason in the use of this aquatic example.

Human skeletal muscle contains circa 20mmol.kg-1 dm; yes 25 times less than these amazing sea mammals. So why the huge variation in values? Well its pure and simple "ecological pressures". What I mean by this is diving mammals tend to spend much of their time in a state of prolonged hypoxia (without oxygen) much like the intramuscular acidosis produced during high intensity resistance exercise (i.e. burning sensation felt in the muscle during a hard set often incorrectly describe as lactate).

This relationship between the level of hypoxia and muscle carnosine concentrations has been demonstrated in previous work 4. This work emphasises the adaptive responses needed to maintain pH under conditions of metabolic and respiratory acidosis.

How Carnosine Works... Feel the burn or maybe not!

As I have just described carnosine is high in the muscle of those exposed to prolonged & low muscle pH. This decrease in pH is not due to lactate perse which you may of been told in the past, but rather the production of H+ (hydrogen ions) as part of the process of energy release from anaerobic glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation (note: A way of supplying energy to ATP Synthesis).

As we work at higher intensities we need a equal increase in our rate of energy production as such in events such as 800m running. This turnover is high and as such the H+ formation is multiplied accordingly. As H+ are released intramuscular pH can begin to fall leading to fatigue unless we can prevent it. So how do we achieve this maintenance (buffering) of pH? Wouldn't it be fantastic if we had a system in place that can do just this...well surprise surprise we have.

The main intramuscular buffering system involves phosphates (one reason why creatine is effective), bicarbonate, and proteins of which carnosine is a constituent. At the physiological pH of which muscle contraction occurs (6.8) "carnosine can pick up H+ (associate) and prevent or should I say delay the inevitable decrease in pH increasing our ability to work harder for longer". The extent to which carnosine can delay acidosis is relative to its content in muscle, and this is where supplementation may eventually play a role.

Please Not Another Rat Study...

Although there is much research on equine & rat muscle, research is few and far between but human data on carnosine does exist. With reference to its distribution in human single fibres there is only one paper to date by Harris, Dunnett & Greenhaff 2.

This was the first paper in humans to show a difference in carnosine between fibre types and carnosine content (see fig 2). On a separate note the sulfonated amino acid taurine has the exact opposite distribution to carnosine in single fibres (we will explore this in a future issue). The total contribution of these values represent to muscle buffering was 28% in the type II muscle fibre. To put this in perspective creatine represents 29% of the total H+ uptake during short fatiguing exercise 4.

Carnosine & The Strength Athlete

So let me get back to what we are here for "exercise" and how carnosine is related. Parkhouse1 helped give us significant cause to believe that carnosine really can be a factor in exercise performance. This landmark study took a series of muscle biopsy samples from sprinters, 800m runners, rowers, marathon runners. Carnosine was significantly elevated in the power athletes (sprinters & rowers) possibly as an adaptive response to the stressors of their associated sports . This result is even more likely when we look at the other groups.

Runners showed no significant difference in skeletal muscle carnosine and buffering capacity in relation to untrained subjects. The problems with this study are they only analysed whole muscle, which is the combination of, type I and II fibres. As we now know there is less canosine in the type I so by mixing the muscle the overall value will be lower than type II alone.

As an avid reader like a lot of you out there I am going to release some great new work to the mag we have just completed here in the UK6 as a thank you. The bottom line "Carnosine is highly elevated in the bodybuilder versus the untrained" this news could turn out to be legendary for three reasons:

1. It demonstrates a large physiological variation in muscle carnosine in different populations.

2. Shows that we can change our muscle carnosine through training.

3. IT BLOWS APART the previously held belief that carnosine has little influences on muscle buffering. The real application of carnosines function on muscle performance will be when data is released from supplementation studies. From recent work just completed with carnosine feeding by our group "I predict we are about to go on a fantastic ride similar to that felt after the release of creatine way back in the early 90's".

The Past, Present, & Future Of Carnosine Supplementation!

It's the question that has driven most of my doctoral research over the past four years can carnosine supplementation increase muscle carnosine? Feel the anticipation ok guys¦ The answer in short is "YES" but to what levels in humans, and what dosing? You will have to wait for a future issue. But what I can divulge is what we have seen so far in animal studies. Carnosine and other imidiazole dipeptides are absent from fasting human plasma but are detectable in very low concentrations in urine7.

There is a definitive increase in plasma carnosine following ingestion of meats and associated products but still at low concentrations, this is probably due to the relatively high activity of the carnosinase enzyme (go back to fig 2). Although dietary studies are rare restrictive diets where removal of one of carnosines constituent amino acids are Histidine, has been the focus of dietary restriction studies and the findings are not unexpected and show that after removal of histidine from the diet for periods as short as 24 days and as long as 12 weeks muscle carnosine levels are reduced 8,9.

As for beta-alanine there is one very well designed study, probably the best out there in terms of analytical techniques used and the outcome of the study design i.e. GREAT NEWS FOR US. Dunnett et al2 showed that after feeding a combination (yes even the biochemists use stacking) of beta-alanine (100mg/kg body weight) and histidine (12.5mg/kg body weight) for 30 days increased muscle carnosine by 13%. More recent studies by Maynard10 over in Kentucky have shown a 2-5 fold increase in rat muscle carnosine with a diet consisting of 1.8% carnosine.

More recently this year there have been two human carnosine studies released one showing an increase in human plasma but no muscle data. The other on autistic children taking 400mg of 2 times a day for 12 weeks showed significant improvement in these children's behavior12.

Conclusion: A Word In Your Ear.

Lets tie this thing up then. Carnosine holds great promise and is of paramount importance for those of us who want to increase the intensity of our exercise; and it will no doubt elevate the training threshold especially in activities defined and characterized by prolonged periods of anaerobic work. Although carnosine's function has been attributed to other metabolic functions, its physical chemistry dictates that it will contribute significantly to hydrogen ion/ pH control, indeed in equine muscle up to 40% and in humans i.e. our bodybuilders maybe 20-30% in type II fibres.

Theoretically training or sustained oral administration of beta-alanine, histidine or even carnosine maybe effective methods for increasing endogenous muscle carnosine concentrations. Any such increase would be of benefit primarily in sports involving sprinting and as such a recent paper12 showed muscle carnosine contents was highly correlated to peak power output during sprint cycling (such was the case with creatine in the early days).

Although success looks on the horizon with carnosine use, it will be less effective as an ergogenic aid in endurance orientated sports. As a final note, or a word in your ear, carnosine as all supplements can have powerful physiological effects especially when taken at high dose; and carnosine is no exception to the rule.

We have found that with high dose i.e. 50mg/kg beta-alanine only half that taken in the equine study mentioned earlier by Dunnett et al, significant and uncomfortable parathesis occurs. Parathesis a feeling similar to pins & needles, an intense tingling sensation like when you have been on the sun bed to long (posers one & all). To date the health consequences are unknown so caution must be advised with its use until further results demonstrating its safety and effectiveness are released. That time is approaching and as always in life "the best things are always worth waiting for".

[Richard Duelley]

I am thinking about adding this to my suppliment package. Which brand of beta-alanine would you reccomned or what should I look for when reading the label?

Thanks,

Ricky

[Gregor]

Amount per kapsule/price.

[Daniel Jorgensen]

I'm wondering, how does creatine match up with bodyweight exercising? I mean - the increased water in the body makes you prob around 5 kilograms heavier. Isn't that bad?

Further - how would recommend taking Beta-Alanine? How many mg/kg body mass? And post - workout?

[Razz]

It's more like 1kg gained from creatine, no big deal and beta-alanine is 5g/day post workout from what i remember. Not sure about off days actually but i'm guessing 5g in morning.

[Daniel Jorgensen]

Last time (first time) i tried creatine i put on 4 kg though i muscle mass was (still is ) relatively low. But well, think I'll give it a try in the new year anyway.

And thanks for the instructions on BA. btw. did you see the PM i sent you some time ago?

[Razz]

Hmm maybe if you used a loading phase the water retention is a bit bigger.. but 4kg sounds unreal.. at least after a while that should disappear (while you are still taking creatine). And I just answered your pm

[Gregor]

I didn't gain even 0,5 kg with creatin use. I think it was aprox. 0,00000kg

4 kg is unreal and it defenitly wasn't from creatine or from creatin it self.

[Guest Ido Portal]

I didn't gain even 0,5 kg with creatin use. I think it was aprox. 0,00000kg

4 kg is unreal and it defenitly wasn't from creatine or from creatin it self.

This is an incorrect assumption to make, Gregor. Drawing from your own experience means very little here.

I also shared the same experience in the past from creatine use, like you, and didnt gain weight, but I also wittnessed many clients of mine gaining a lot of weight on creatine. (muscle mass and water retention, of course)

It is a common understanding now among athletic trainers that there is such a thing as 'creatine responders' and there are the non-responders.

Creatine can cause a very large weight gain, espcialy in the first time of use. It can also do very little for you.

Ido.

[Gregor]

Yes I know everyone has diffrent efect from it (as you said one is a responder and other is not; also one has more depleted creatine and other has less depleted creatine in body; also depends on muscle mass) . But defenitly not 4 kg just from creatine.

[Daniel Jorgensen]

Of course I can't say that it for sure was only from creatine. But it happened during my loading week - 0,3*bw gram a day with loads of water. Was told that it was quite common. It gonna be exiting to see what happens this time

[Razz]

I think I read somewhere that using a loading phase binds more water than not using a loading phase, but dont quote me on that

[Rolf Nilsen]

As it turns out, it is against the law to sell beta-alanine in Norway. (Guess where I live..)

We are allowed to import beta-alanine for personal use however.

Tips for brands and webshops to check out within the EU?

A somewhat rethoric and off topic question for this forum: Why would some countries ban commerce on beta-alanine?

[Razz]

T2T It's the same in Denmark and I know it was possible to buy in Sweden earlier, but that webpage that I found doesn't sell it anymore either. Bulkpowders.co.uk are good but I don't know what their shipping prices are.. Don't ask me why it's only legal for import