Beta-Alanine
Versatile super amino emerges as an invaluable muscle carnosine maximizer and performance enhancer!

For years, Beta Alanine has enjoyed a sterling reputation among hardcore bodybuilders who recognized and valued its central role in several processes of muscle growth and repair. The amino acid alanine, a primary transporter of nitrogen, is highly involved in protein synthesis, and is the primary glucogenic amino acid for the production of usable glucose from glycogen. Linked with histidine, it forms carnosine, a critical element in the muscle-building equation.

Lately, however, the good news about beta alanine has been accumulating at an astounding rate. A swiftly growing body of research indicates that beta alanine plays a much more critical role in anabolism than even its most dedicated users might have imagined. Specifically, beta alanine is emerging as a key agent in promoting significant increases in muscle carnosine, primarily by helping to buffer the effects of lactic acid. Fast-twitch muscle fibers, in particular, generally have high carnosine levels. As carnosine levels increase in muscle cells, they lead to a reduction in neuromuscular fatigue and consequent increases in muscle recovery and performance output.

In a recently published study(1), a series of experiments were conducted to assess beta alanine's effects on muscle carnosine levels. Researchers examined the effects of supplementing with 800 mg of beta-alanine given multiple times daily for four weeks on muscle carnosine levels. After 4 weeks of supplementation, muscle carnosine levels were significantly elevated by as much as 66%. This increased level of muscle carnosine was credited by the authors with a significant effect on intracellular buffering. In one of the first studies(2) to assess the combined effects of creatine monohydrate and beta-alanine supplementation, researchers randomized healthy men into four supplementation groups: placebo, creatine monohydrate only, beta-alanine only, and creatine monohydrate plus beta-alanine. Before and after 4 weeks of supplementation they all performed an exercise test that progressively increased in intensity while measures were made of their metabolic responses. The combined creatine and beta-alanine condition was the only group to demonstrate an increase in lactate threshold. This means that subjects in this group could exercise longer and at a higher intensity without accumulating toxic substances that can lead to fatigue. The findings provided preliminary evidence that creatine and beta-alanine may work together to produce favorable metabolic adaptations within skeletal muscle that translate into more efficient performance.

Additional work continues to be published on beta alanine, establishing it as a potent agent for increasing muscle buffering capacity through enhancement of muscle carnosine levels. Meanwhile, the remarkable effectiveness of this powerful amino has not escaped the researchers at ProSource. We were one of the first manufacturers to introduce a pure, premium-grade Beta Alanine.

When it comes to your workout regimen, better results are gained by way of increased performance. Work out longer, harder, and more productively with ProSource Beta Alanine!

(1) Harris RC, Tallon MJ, Dunnett M, Boobis L, Coakley J, Kim HJ, Fallowfield JL, Hill CA, Sale C, Wise JA. The absorption of orally supplied beta-alanine and its effect on muscle carnosine synthesis in human vastus lateralis. Amino Acids. 2006 Mar 24; [Epub ahead of print]

(2) Zoeller RF, Stout JR, O'kroy JA, Torok DJ, Mielke M. Effects of 28 days of beta-alanine and creatine monohydrate supplementation on aerobic power, ventilatory and lactate thresholds, and time to exhaustion. Amino Acids. 2006 Sep 5; [Epub ahead of print]

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