Beta-alanine to improve the sports performance of cyclists and runners

Beta-Alanine is a non-essential amino acid that is found naturally in white or red meats like chicken or beef. This and the other non-essential amino acids differs from essential amino acids in that the body does not synthesize them and must be consumed through the diet.

In recent years, this amino acid has gained special interest due to its direct relationship with the synthesis of carnosine, a dipeptide composed of the amino acids beta-alanine and histidine .

Beta-alanine raises carnosine levels in muscle . The dipeptide is stored in the cells and is released as a response action to situations of pH imbalance.

At the muscular level, which is the most relevant for sports performance, carnosine performs another important function, that of activating the myosin enzyme ATPase , which plays a fundamental role in maintaining ATP reserves. Raising the levels of carnosine in the body is positive, since the increase of the peptide delays the muscular fatigue associated with training.

How does beta-alanine work?

Several scientific studies show how beta-alanine favors the synthesis of carnosine within muscle fibers, raising the levels of this substance in muscles . The amino acid is absorbed into skeletal muscle and combines with histidine to synthesize carnosine . The result is delayed onset of fatigue during exercise.

A supplementation of between 3.2 grams and 6.4 grams of beta-alanine is sufficient to raise the levels of carnosine, and this is useful for both athletes strength and endurance . Although the sports modalities that use this supplement the most are cycling and running, many gym users (fitness and bodybuilding) use beta-alanine to enhance the development of muscle mass.

Muscle carnosine is also directly related to a positive effect with increased calcium sensitivity in muscle fibers , so that while increasing strength during training, the rate of muscle fatigue is reduced.

Beta-alanine in improving exercise capacity and performance

Different studies establish that beta-alanine supplementation can increase muscle concentration of carnosine and that, if we combine this with training, performance is much higher. Beta-Alanine offers a general ergogenic effect on exercise , especially in the one to four minute workout type .

An ergogenic effect or aid is known as any product that improves working capacity. Thus, supplements for athletes that aim to improve performance are considered as such.

Cycling improvements

Regarding cycling, a study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology showed that supplementation with beta-alanine before high intensity training could improve the results of that training modality . Beta-alanine in those cases enhances the formation of muscle carnosine, increases motivation and reduces the feeling of effort.

In professional cycling, this substance is considered a legal supplement, a performance enhancer   that generates less risks and is freely available, not like doping products.

These legal supplements include beta-alanine and creatine . 

The first absorbs lactate production due to its buffering effect at the intracellular level , while the second increases strength and regeneration of explosive power.

At a professional level, many cyclists and teams make use of these supplements,  while at the amateur level, this practice is increasingly widespread, both in mountain and road cycling and in triathlon.

Beta-alanine for runners

As in the case of cycling, the fundamental mission of beta-alanine supplementation is to increase intramuscular carnosine deposits, to thereby achieve an improvement in endurance capacity.

In the running world, this ergogenic aid is used alone or in combination with creatine . When taking these supplements, the athlete usually experiences a sense of improvement that leads him to maintain maximum intensity in the exercise for a longer time, delaying the accumulated fatigue caused by lactate.

If we differentiate between sexes, the average concentrations of carnosine in men are higher than in women , and this is due to the hormonal environment. In any case, the main factor affecting muscle carnosine concentration is the difference between the different types of muscle fibers, with fast-twitch or type II fibers being the richest in carnosine. Thus, sprinters have a higher concentration of the peptide in skeletal muscle than endurance athletes and a sedentary population.

Carnosine in vegetarians

The synthesis of carnosine in skeletal muscle is largely determined by the availability of beta-alanine in the diet, with white and red meats being the main sources of this amino acid.

Thus, it is not surprising that people who follow vegetarian diets have lower concentrations of muscle carnosine than those who follow an omnivorous diet.

Many athletes who follow vegetarian diets must resort to almost mandatory use of these supplements to achieve improvements in performance.

How to take beta-alanine

The International Society of Sports Nutrition , through a scientific report, showed some recommendations on the consumption of this ergogenic substance. The main guidelines to follow were the following:

Four weeks of beta-alanine supplementation, taking four to six grams a day , significantly increases muscle carnosine concentrations, thus acting as an intracellular pH buffer. There are no known serious side effects , except for paresthesia (tingling), but there are guidelines to lessen that feeling.

As for the improvement of sports performance, a daily dose of between four and six grams of this substance is positive, and has more pronounced effects on exercises lasting from one to four minutes. Currently, beta-alanine supplementation is quite safe, provided that this treatment is followed by healthy people who respect the recommended doses.