Supplements: Beta Alanine

This week's blog is focusing on supplements, with a brief look at beta-alanine. A more fully detailed article will be available to Rudog members on the Rudog site, where there will be information given about other specific supplements, what their function is, and whether or not they actually do what they are advertised to do.
When trying to decide whether or not to take a supplement, you need to first decide what type of supplement you are in the market for. For the sake of simplicity, let's boil it down to 3 major categories:

1. Supplements that improve performance and/or recovery
2. Supplements that decrease fat
3. Supplements that improve general health

So, for example, you wouldn't need to take a supplement that increases muscle recovery if your main goal is reduce body fat storage. Remember the Rudog mantra, "Know what you take, know why you take it" If you don't know the answer to BOTH of these, then you should NOT be taking it. I have to tell you up front that anytime you start reading about supplements, you have to expect that there will be some word usage that might seem fancy or complicated. That is the nature of chemistry and all things science. Sometimes there just isn't a plain, old-fashioned word to use. Don't be afraid to look something up if you don't know what it means!
Let's take a look at beta-alanine, which is a supplement that is marketed to improve performance and recovery. This could have potential benefits to the MMA athlete, for sure.
Beta-Alanine
This is a nonessential amino acid. That means the body can make this amino acid all by itself, without it needing to be provided through diet. More specifically it is a beta-amino acid. This is different from regular alanine. Beta-alanine is not involved in the building of other proteins. It is a component of a substance called carnosine, which occurs in the diet mainly through meat.

When muscles are exercised, lactic acid and hydrogen ions are produced. These products cause the pH of the muscle to drop (become acidic) and contribute to fatigue and decreased performance. You may feel the burn, you may not. Regardless, it is still occurring. To counter this, the body uses "buffers" to soak up the additional H ions that are being produced. The goal is to get the pH back to normal in the muscle. Beta-alanine is a key component of carnosine production. This is important to know because carnosine is a very effective "buffer" that is found in Type I and Type II muscle fibers. Check out an earlier article on the Rudog site that talks about knowing your muscle fiber type. Taking beta-alanine can increase carnosine production which can then reduce the amount of fatigue in the muscle. Translation: you can workout longer with better performance.
If you are into weight lifting or some other type of anaerobic activity, this should be of interest to you. Research really does seem to back this up. It would appear that as muscle concentrations of beta-alanine increase, performance in high intensity workouts improves.

Intake range for effectiveness should be anywhere from 1-4g daily. Side effects are minimal. One strange one (though not harmful) is parathesia--transient and benign tingling in the upper extremities. High levels have been known to cause a depletion of taurine, so you may want to supplement taurine while supplementing beta-alanine.

It is ALWAYS a good idea to talk with your physician or registered dietitian before starting use of any supplement. If you don't already have a dietitian that you work with, even if just occasionally, GET ONE. You are just protecting yourself, ultimately. Be smart about what you do to your body.

Mary Bell RD/LD
www.rudog.com