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Biochemistry of Buffering Capacity and Ingestion of Buffers In Exercise and Athletic Performance
Published in Peter M. Tiidus, Rebecca E. K. MacPherson, Paul J. LeBlanc, Andrea R. Josse, The Routledge Handbook on Biochemistry of Exercise, 2020
Bryan Saunders, Guilherme G. Artioli, Eimear Dolan, Rebecca L. Jones, Joseph Matthews, Craig Sale
The longest supplementation study to date showed that 24 weeks of supplementation at 6.4 g·day−1 did not change clinical markers of health in healthy individuals (103). The available evidence indicates that beta-alanine supplementation (within the doses and durations that have been scientifically investigated) is safe (29). The primary side effect experienced is paraesthesia, which has been described as an uncomfortable prickly sensation on the skin. Paraesthesia most likely occurs due to the binding of beta-alanine to the peripheral neuronal receptor MrgprD (66). Although many individuals consider it an unpleasant sensation, there is no evidence to indicate that it is harmful. The occurrence and intensity of paraesthesia are dose-related and closely relate to the time and peak of blood beta-alanine concentration (45). Accordingly, strategies to slow the time or extent of peak blood beta-alanine, such as splitting the desired dose throughout the day (45) or using a slow-release capsule (26), have been reported to effectively reduce the occurrence or intensity of paraesthesia symptoms.
Beta-alanine supplementation IN SPORT, EXERCISE AND HEALTH
Published in Jay R Hoffman, Dietary Supplementation in Sport and Exercise, 2019
There is a clear rationale for the different timeframes used in the meta-analysis of Hobson et al. (76). Nonetheless, exercise protocols such as four km time trial cycling and 2000 m rowing, which are approximately six to seven minutes in duration, have been shown to rely on anaerobic energy production for between 10–30% of the total energy requirement (126, 137), while acidosis may already contribute to fatigue following as little as 20 seconds of exercise (24). A more recent meta-analysis replicated these timeframes, but also included adapted criteria, that categorized exercise between 0–0.5 min, 0.5–10 min and 10+ min (119). The results confirmed the results of Hobson et al. (76), although the meta-analytic model suggested that the novel timeframes were more effective in differentiating results. Short-duration exercise (≤ 0.5 min) was similarly unaffected by beta-alanine supplementation, while effect sizes for moderate duration exercise (0.5–10 min) were significant. However, the efficacy of beta-alanine for longer duration exercise (> 10 min) was no longer apparent. Interestingly, it is possible that short periods of high-intensity activity interspersed throughout longer duration exercise may be improved with beta-alanine, as demonstrated by an improved sprint finish at the end of a prolonged cycling bout after supplementation with beta-alanine (148).
Dietary Supplements for Use in Extreme Sports
Published in Datta Sourya, Debasis Bagchi, Extreme and Rare Sports, 2019
Nicolas J.G. Smith, Matthew Butawan, Richard J. Bloomer
In recent years, beta-alanine has gained popularity as an ergogenic supplement. A non-proteogenic amino acid, humans produce beta-alanine naturally in the liver. Beta-alanine is relevant to exercise because it acts as the rate-limiting precursor to the formation of carnosine. A dipeptide found in large quantities in the brain and skeletal muscle, carnosine acts as a pH buffer in skeletal muscle during intense anaerobic exercise. Supplementing beta-alanine through a prolonged loading dose (~4–6 g/day for 28 days) significantly increases the concentration of muscle carnosine in most individuals.65 This increase in muscle carnosine should be accompanied by a concomitant increase in the buffering capacity of skeletal muscle and result in an attenuation of metabolic acidosis during intense anaerobic exercise. Thus far, research has suggested that beta-alanine supplementation is ergogenic for intense, single-effort exercise lasting 0.5–10 min (i.e. 1500 m running), particularly in untrained individuals.66 These performance-enhancing effects are more evident during open-ended testing (i.e. test to volitional exhaustion) than closed-ended testing (i.e. time trial). However, the literature indicates beta-alanine has little-to-no ergogenic effects on other types of exercise, such as resistance training, short sprinting (<30 s; i.e. 100 m sprint), repeated sprinting, or endurance exercise lasting longer than 10 minutes.
Age Drives the Differences in Dietary Supplement Use in Endurance Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Cyclists, Runners, and Triathletes
Published in Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2023
Austin J. Graybeal, Andreas Kreutzer, Jada L. Willis, Kamiah Moss, Robyn Braun-Trocchio, Meena Shah
The positive association between age and use of DS in athletes (6) is therefore unsurprising given the belief that some DS may alleviate these decrements. For instance, omega-3 supplementation and using DS to alleviate joint pain are commonly reported in older adults (23), coinciding with evidence supporting that fish oil supplementation reduces osteoarthritis-specific pain in this group (24). OA may also benefit from planned electrolyte supplementation, given that strenuous exercise and compounding age-related declines in kidney function may lead to more severe imbalances (25). For sports-specific DS, studies show that products such as protein supplements and beta-alanine improve endurance exercise in older adults (26). Thus, it appears that OA have distinct dietary needs (27) and more so now, given recent findings showing that masters athletics is becoming increasingly more competitive (28, 29). Moreover, higher training hours in endurance sports are associated with greater use of DS compared to non-endurance sports such as sprinting (30, 31). However, there are few established DS shown to improve endurance performance (6) and the prevalence of DS in most common endurance events is unknown. Additional insight to the use of dietary supplements in older endurance athletes will further develop the knowledge about patterns of use for DS in a sample of competitive endurance athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the: (a) use of DS, (b) motivation for use of DS, (c) sources of information for DS, and (d) if these differ by age in endurance athletes who were cyclists, runners, or triathletes.
Beta-Alanine Does Not Enhance the Effects of Resistance Training in Older Adults
Published in Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2018
Christopher H. Bailey, Joseph F. Signorile, Arlette C. Perry, Kevin A. Jacobs, Nicholas D. Myers
Beta-alanine is an amino acid that has been reported to improve exercise performance in older adults (del Favero et al., 2012). Beta-alanine combines with histidine to form carnosine (Artioli et al., 2010). Beta-alanine is the rate-limiting substrate for carnosine synthesis in skeletal muscle (Artioli et al., 2010). Beta-alanine supplementation is a proven method for increasing muscle carnosine content (Artioli et al., 2010). Supplementation rapidly increases plasma beta-alanine levels, peaking between 30 and 40 minutes, before returning to baseline 3 hours after ingestion (Harris et al., 2006). A number of mechanisms have been proposed to explain the benefits of increased skeletal muscle carnosine content on muscular endurance, including enhanced calcium release in type I fibers (Dutka et al., 2012), improved antioxidant activity (Boldyrev et al., 2013; Dawson et al., 2002), increased buffering in skeletal muscle (Sale et al., 2013), and improved calcium sensitivity (Dutka et al., 2012).