Scientific research has shown beta-alanine can:

• Boosts explosive muscular strength & power output
• Increase lean body mass
• Increase anaerobic muscular endurance
• Increase aerobic endurance
• Delay muscular fatigue- train harder & longer

How Does Beta-Alanine Work?

Much of beta-alanine's effects are realized by boosting the synthesis of an intracellular (inside the cell) buffer called carnosine. Carnosine is a dipeptide, composed of the Amino Acids beta-alanine and histidine and has the ability to stabilize muscular pH by soaking up fatigue-causing hydrogen ions (H+).

How Much Can Supplementing With Beta-Alanine Increase Our Carnosine Levels?

Researchers have shown that when supplementing with beta-alanine for just four weeks, we can increase our carnosine concentration by 42 percent to 65 percent. Longer beta-alanine studies going up to 10-12 weeks show carnosine concentrations increased up to 80 percent.

How Do H+ Affect Exericse Performance?

The sequence of events looks like this:

1.  
   1. Our energy systems release large amounts of hydrogen ions (H+) during high-intensity exercise.
   2. H+ causes our muscle pH to drop (become more acidic).
   3. As our muscle pH quickly drops, so does your strength, while muscular fatigue increases.
   4. At the same time, fatigue-causing free radicals are increased with exercise.

The result of these events: Strength decreases and fatigue increases.

How Can Beta-Alanine Combat These Events?

1.       Combated by boosting the levels of a powerful H+ buffer inside our muscles called carnosine.

2.       Carnosine is a naturally occurring dipeptide that has the ability to stabilize muscular pH by soaking up H+.

3.       Carnosine is found in both type I and type II muscle fibers, but is highest in type II muscle fibers. Type II muscle fibers are primarily used in high-intensity strength workouts and are most responsive to muscular growth.

4.       By increasing carnosine concentrations in type II muscle fibers, you can greatly enhance their ability to buffer/absorb increased amounts of H+ that are released during rigorous exercise.

The end result: Beta-alanine keeps us in an optimal pH range by buffering/absorbing H+. In doing so, our muscles are able to perform at higher levels.

The Latest Beta-Alanine Study Using 18 Collegiate Wrestlers

A recent beta-alanine study on 18 collegiate wrestlers, using the commercial beta-alanine supplement IntraXCell was just completed.¹ The subjects took IntraXCell daily, supplying 4 grams of beta-alanine for eight weeks. The researchers measured changes in strength, power and endurance during the course of the wrestler's competitive season. The results were rather impressive, showing significant increases in anaerobic strength, power and muscular endurance.

References:

1. Kern BD, Robinson TL, Manninen AH. Effects of beta-alanine supplementation on exercise performance during a competitive wrestling season: An eight-week open label pilot study. (Manuscript under review).