Beta Alanine or 3-aminopropionic acid is a non-essential beta-amino acid, often found in certain types of food. These foods include different varieties of meats such as pork, beef, tuna, and venison. However, the amounts provided by these meats are often very small and mostly unnoticeable unless you are to eat a huge quantity, after which you probably wouldn’t be able to work out too effectively.
On a structural level, beta alanine a combination of two neurotransmitters, GABA and L-Glycine. Due to these components, there is some growing evidence pushing the scientific community towards considering a secondary classification of beta alanine as a neurotransmitter.
What Beta Alanine does is increases the levels of carnosine in the muscles, which serves as an acid buffer. Once carnosine is produced, it is stored in the cells of the muscles and released to help balance the body’s natural pH level if it drops too far. This causes less lactic acid to be produced during workouts which means longer, more effective workouts for the user.
What does Beta Alanine Do?
Beta Alanine powder is first and foremost a sports supplement used to raise carnosine levels in the muscles. As the limiting amino acid used in carnosine synthesis, the presence of this acid in the bloodstream correlates to the current levels of carnosine possible in muscles. As stated above, the amount of carnosine stored up in cells will correlate to the amount of lactic acid that can be offset during an intense workout and the increased potential for muscle growth before the user beings to tire and ache.
The actual mechanism that prevents the buildup of lactic acid can be explained by the importance of beta alanine in defending against the buildup of hydrogen, or H+ ions. These ions can severely lower the pH value inside of muscle cells and cause increased muscle fatigue.
Why Should I use Beta Alanine?
If you have any intention to build muscles or improve athletic performance, it only makes sense that you would want to tackle this feat in the most effective way. For this, beta alanine is an idea choice due to the boost that it provides to muscle growth during high-impact workouts. By increasing the amount of time that a person can perform reps without the need for rest in between, many users notice huge changes in their musculature in a very short amount of time from starting beta alanine supplementation.
Another reason that some people will choose to use beta alanine for is diet supplementation purposes. As this is primarily found in meat, vegetarians will often lack a sufficient amount of this amino acid, so through supplementation, muscle growth is much easier for people with vegetarian diets.
Beta Alanine Dosage
When using beta alanine as a performance enhancer, most users will choose to take their dose with a meal. This makes the harmless, but potentially irritating tingling that can occur from high doses less likely to occur. It also does not lower the effectiveness as the amount of carnosine will compound over the time that this supplement is being used.
For a quicker acting effect with an energy boost, albeit one spurred on by the tingling “pins and needles” sensation, then a larger dose on an empty stomach is usually the best way to accomplish this.
The standard dose for beta alanine falls between 800-1200mg and can be “loaded” like similar performance enhancing supplements such as creatine.