Understanding Beta-Alanine

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Have you ever felt “the tingles” after consuming a product with beta-alanine? This sensation, called parasthesia, is commonly felt in fingers, toes, or face. The tingling effect differs from person to person.  Some people feel nothing while others have an intense sensation, but this tingling gradually goes away over time. Let’s take a closer look into this tantalizing ingredient and explore how it may support performance for an athlete!

The Basics

Before diving too deep into beta-alanine, we need to understand a compound in the body called carnosine. Carnosine is made of 2 amino acids—beta-alanine and L-histidine (FYI these are non-coding amino acids which means they are not involved in building muscle).

Carnosine is present in the muscles of all mammals. In 1938, scientists published the first research examining carnosine’s buffering ability in the muscle. This buffering ability may sound very attractive to you if you’ve ever felt the burn in your muscles during a tough workout! When lifting weights, for example, lactic acid is produced and the resulting hydrogen ions decrease the pH in your muscle tissue (i.e. the environment becomes more acidic and you feel the burn!). This low pH has been associated with muscle fatigue. You may have experienced this first hand!

So where does beta-alanine come in? Well, supplementing with beta-alanine (remember—one of the amino acids that comprise carnosine) contributes to an increased concentration of carnosine in the muscles. More carnosine means more buffering capability! By buffering the hydrogen ions produced during intense exercise, carnosine may help athletes perform longer.

Beta-Alanine and Performance

Hopefully by now you can see why athletes may benefit from beta-alanine supplementation! Beta-alanine supplemented over time in appropriate amounts (2-6 grams/day) helps increase muscle carnosine concentration. We now know that this increased carnosine concentration helps athletes perform longer due to its buffering ability. This is not a supplement that you will have an immediate performance effect from, so take consistently in the appropriate amounts for several weeks to start feeling the effect.

We already highlighted the tingling effect that some people get from taking products with beta-alanine. Researchers are still trying to put their finger on the cause of this tingling sensation, but it is important to note that this tingling sensation is not associated with a performance benefit! So enjoy your tingles, but you now know the real science of how beta-alanine can support you training!