Beta-alanine is a non-proteogenic amino acid, meaning, unlike most amino acids, beta-alanine is not used by our body to synthesize proteins. It is a non-essential amino acid in which the amino group is at the beta-position from the carboxylate group. Beta-alanine performs as a rate-limiting precursor to the synthesis of carnosine and improves sports performance. Beta-alanine effectively supports muscles operating at peak performance. Studies suggest that supplementation with beta alanine has shown to improve exercise capacity in tasks lasting 60 seconds to 240 seconds.
- What is the need to supplement with beta-alanine?
Beta-alanine has emerged as the popular and most trusted supplement among athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid that is produced by the body itself but in small amounts. Relatively small amounts of beta-alanine are present in animal foods such as meat, poultry, pork, and fish. Estimated dietary intakes of beta-alanine range from none in vegetarians to about 1g/day in heavy meat-eaters. Also, oral consumption of carnosine is an inefficient method of increasing muscle carnosine concentrations because it gets digested into its constituent amino acids. In this aspect, beta-alanine supplements are a convenient and reliable way to increase the amount of carnosine in the body and increase exercise output.
- What are the benefits of beta-alanine?
The major benefits of beta-alanine result from its increasing muscle carnosine levels. Beta-alanine increases time to exhaustion, promotes better mental focus, boosts your endurance, and your ability to exercise for a longer duration. Beta-alanine promotes faster recovery between exercise sessions and faster development of muscles. Increasing time to exhaustion directly relates to an increase in training volume. Delayed fatigue and improved mental focus can give an edge to athletes to challenge their muscles to work under greater tension.
- Why can we not consume carnosine instead of beta-alanine?
As per research, our body has enough histidine to meet the demands of muscles for synthesizing carnosine, but not enough beta-alanine. Carnosine is not absorbed optimally when taken directly, moreover, it breaks down into beta-alanine and histidine upon absorption. Supplemental beta alanine performs as a rate-limiting precursor of carnosine. Beta-alanine supplements are the most effective way to increase carnosine content and therefore increase total muscle buffer capacity, with potential improvements in physical performance.
- I can’t understand the link between carnosine & beta-alanine…are they both the same?
There’s no need for confusion, it’s simple. Beta-alanine and Carnosine are not the same but are interlinked. Carnosine is a naturally occurring dipeptide molecule, which is made by its constituents amino acids, histidine, and beta-alanine with the help of an enzyme, carnosine synthetase. Carnosine’s function is to regulate muscle acidosis during intense exercise and to delay the onset of fatigue. Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid that combines with histidine to form dipeptide carnosine. Beta-alanine is instrumental in increasing levels of carnosine in the body and causes improvement of muscle strength and exercise performance.
- Does it contain caffeine or other ingredients?
No, the supplement does not contain caffeine or any other ingredients except amino acid. Our beta-alanine supplement does not include gluten, soy, yeast, corn, artificial colours, sweeteners, additives, the supplements is third-party lab-tested for purity and potency.
- What causes fatigue during high-intensity exercise?
The main source of energy during high-intensity exercise is glucose, which is derived from anaerobic glycolysis. During glycolysis, glucose gets broken down into lactic acid, which is further converted to lactate, which produces hydrogen ions (H+). The more we rely on glycolysis as the primary energy system, the more is the production of lactic acid and H+ ions, leading to a further decrease in intramuscular pH. The built-in acidity blocks the glucose breakdown and reduces the muscle’s ability to contract. This condition is what causes fatigue during intense workouts.
- Which is good beta-alanine or citrulline? Can we combine beta alanine & citrulline?
Both beta-alanine and citrulline have different functions in the body and they benefit your performance according to their mode of action. Beta-alanine acts as a precursor to carnosine synthesis, it is great for endurance, it helps reduce muscular fatigue, helps you surpass your normal workout volume, which translates into more muscles and strength. Citrulline boosts nitric oxide levels in the body which can facilitate efficient delivery of nutrients and faster muscle protein synthesis, it increases muscle pumps and muscle strength. You can combine beta-alanine and citrulline supplements, doing so may assist your body in building more muscle, help you train harder, and maximize your results.
- Does beta-alanine promote weight loss/weight gain?
No studies show significant results of weight loss or weight gain upon supplementing with beta alanine. Beta-alanine is not a high-calorie supplement nor does it facilitate indirect muscle building, hence weight gain/weight loss by beta-alanine is ruled out. However, beta-alanine improves body composition and muscle mass by increasing your training volume. You must understand that the strategy in supplementing with beta-alanine is to increase your capacity to do workouts, by means of which it helps you gain lean muscle mass and lose fat.
- Can vegetarians consume beta alanine supplements?
Yes. Vegetarians do not get sufficient dietary intake of beta alanine as beta alanine is found in non-vegetarian sources like meat, poultry, and fish. Vegetarian athletes will have a greater need to supplement with beta alanine. It is critical for vegetarians to supplement with beta alanine to ensure healthy carnosine levels.
- What is the potential role of carnosine produced by beta-alanine? How does it benefit exercise performance?
Carnosine acts as a buffer in reducing muscle acidosis (which may act as a limiting factor to performance and reduce your muscle’s ability to contract). Beta-alanine supplements increase carnosine levels, which reduce acidity in your muscles, reduce overall fatigue. Carnosine helps to keep the hydrogen ion levels low in order to maintain optimal pH levels within the muscle tissue during exercise. This allows you to work harder without experiencing muscle fatigue. Carnosine has been shown by studies to act as an antioxidant by scavenging free radicals, which are produced at an elevated rate during exercise and may contribute to oxidative stress and muscle fatigue.
- Who can consume beta-alanine?
Beta-alanine is the most beneficial ergogenic aid for supporting workouts that are short to a medium length which requires a lot of muscle performance. Beta-alanine improves athletic performance by reducing fatigue, increasing endurance, boosting training volume, and promoting muscle growth.
Athletes participating in high-intensity circuit training, interval training, cross-fit, or any other type of exercise which involves a short break between moves are likely to be benefited from the beta-alanine supplement. Swimmers, cyclists, or people who perform exercises requiring high-intensity effort over a short period will benefit from beta-alanine supplementation.
- Can I combine beta-alanine with other supplements?
Yes, you can combine beta-alanine with other supplements like creatine, caffeine, bcaa, glutamine, pure carbs, or protein powders. Remember, the combination of supplements you combine purely depends on your overall fitness goals.
- Can I combine beta-alanine with creatine?
Yes, beta-alanine can be combined with creatine if you are aiming for improved energy output, muscle strength, and muscle mass. If you are someone who takes frequent breaks between sets and wants to cut down on breaks, creatine and beta-alanine will make this possible for you. While beta-alanine increases muscle carnosine levels, which impacts on reducing muscle fatigue, potentially allowing you to push yourself longer, creatine supports the quick availability of ATP required to train harder, it increases muscle strength and muscle mass.
- Is your beta-alanine product provided with a scoop? How to store beta-alanine? & How to consume it?
Yes, beta-alanine is provided with a 5g scoop inside. Beta-alanine is odorless, colorless, and is soluble in water. It is suggested to store the pack tightly sealed and stored at room temperature. Keep the contents dry, away from moisture or humid areas. You can mix 2.5g of beta-alanine with 240ml of water or fruit juice, protein shakes, and consume. AS-IT-IS beta-alanine allows you to check the authenticity of the pack with the help of QR CODE and the SCRATCH CODE.
- When can we start expecting the results of beta-alanine?
Beta-alanine is the most commended supplement to athletes and professionals to improve physical performance. Daily consumption of 2.5g to 5g of beta-alanine will take at least 2 to 4 weeks to show more pronounced effects of body composition. However, the difference in a workout at the gym will soon be evident to you.
- What is the recommended daily dose of beta-alanine? When to take beta-alanine?
The standard daily recommended dose of beta-alanine is 2.5g. Large doses of beta-alanine may cause harmless side effects like paresthesia, which is a tingling feeling. Since beta-alanine functions mainly by reducing muscle acidosis and helping muscles contract better, it is best suitable to be taken pre-workout. Consume beta-alanine 15-20 minutes before starting your training. You can consume beta-alanine daily even on days you don’t do the workout. Daily supplementation will help build the concentration of carnosine which will benefit your performance.
- Does beta-alanine produce side effects?
No serious side effects have been linked to beta-alanine. Beta-alanine is an amino acid that our body naturally produces, which means the supplemental form of beta-alanine is safe. However, it is important for you to check if the supplement includes only beta-alanine or contains other ingredients that may be allergic to you. AS-IT-IS beta-alanine includes only beta-alanine as a solo ingredient. It has gone through third-party lab testing to prove its safety. Some people who exceed the dosage recommended on the pack or who do loading on beta-alanine may typically experience a tingling sensation known as paresthesia (which is a temporary feeling). You can avoid this by splitting the dosage (0.5g-1g) and consuming it multiple times a day. Consuming beta-alanine with meals is also found to minimize such minor side effects.
- Is beta-alanine a pre-workout supplement? How does it reduce muscle fatigue?
Experts recommend taking beta-alanine pre-workout for the benefits of its producing carnosine, a higher concentration of carnosine means more effective buffering and prevention of muscle fatigue. During your high-intensity exercise, highly reactive hydrogen ions are produced which causes a drop in pH. Progressive acidification rises acidity which compromises proteins responsible for power generation and shortening of muscle fibers. Beta-alanine combines with histidine to form carnosine by preventing it from combining with other amino acids to form protein. As a result, a high concentration of carnosine accumulates in muscle cells and thereby reduces fatigue.
- Do I need to cycle beta-alanine?
This may not be required, a regular daily supplementation would be sufficient. If you are a professional athlete who intends to load on beta-alanine, then the best approach is to use it for a period of 4 to 9 weeks and then discontinue use for an equal period of time. You can consume 4 to 6g of beta-alanine daily in a divided dose of 2g or less, for a minimum of 2 weeks (which results in a 20-30% increase in muscle carnosine levels), with greater benefits seen after 4 weeks. Combining beta-alanine consumption with a meal has been suggested during the loading phase as this has been shown to be effective for increasing muscle carnosine levels.
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