Beta Alanine – What makes it work?
Beta-alanine, also called 3-aminopropionic acid, is an isomer of the amino acid alanine that occurs free in nature. It is an important component of the vitamin pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), coenzyme A & acyl carrier protein. It is the derivative of carnosine and anserine that can be found in muscles.
As a supplement, beta-alanine is currently being credited for its ability to enhance exercise capability and muscle metabolism mainly by aiding the acid buffering capacity of muscles. As mentioned above, carnosine is derived from beta-alanine. Beta-alanine is the rate-limiting step in carnosine synthesis, meaning, the amount of carnosine in the body is dependent on how much beta-alanine is still available for utilization. Carnosine is a histidine-containing dipeptide that is found in the brain, skin, heart, kidney, liver and skeletal muscle, particularly in type 2 muscle fibers, which are involved in high-intensity workouts.
Various physiologic processes have been attributed to carnosine in skeletal muscles. These include pH buffering, acting as an antioxidant, regulating calcium ion sensitivity and excitation-contraction coupling. During exercise, when we engage in sudden bursts of activity or prolonged intense activity, muscles are forced to continue contracting without sufficient oxygen (anaerobic activity) and end products like H+ (hydrogen ion), primarily from lactic acid buildup, accumulate and cause a decrease in the pH.
The drop in pH decreases muscular performance by compromising muscular ability to contract with enough force and fosters earlier onset of fatigue. Thus, carnosine, along with other intracellular buffers like inorganic phosphate, protein-bound histidine residues, bicarbonate and creatine phosphate, are identified to delay inhibition of the enzymatic and contractile mechanism in muscle that results to enhanced performance.
Various studies have shown that using beta alanine as supplement indeed increases carnosine concentration by as much as 42% to 65% in just 4 weeks. The enhanced muscle levels of carnosine were found to effect increased muscle endurance, increased oxygen uptake ability, and longer time to fatigue.
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Tags: amino acid alanine, beta alanine, carnosine
