β-alanine supplementation to improve exercise capacity and performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Saunders, Bryan; Elliott‐Sale, Kirsty J.; Artioli, Guilherme Giannini; Swinton, Paul; Dolan, Eimear; Roschel, Hamilton; Sale, Craig; Gualano, Bruno

doi:10.1136/bjsports-2016-096396

Cited by 227 publications

(282 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Doses of 4–6 g/day, spread evenly over doses of 800 mg, for 4 weeks have elevated muscle carnosine levels by 64%5 and extending the supplementation to 10 weeks has been shown to increase muscle carnosine by 80% 6. The meta-analysis reported a smaller effect on trained than non-trained individuals; however, the reason for this difference is not clear 2. Combining β-alanine with sodium bicarbonate has also been shown to further improve performance compared with β-alanine alone 2 3…”

Section: What We Knowmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…The meta-analysis reported a smaller effect on trained than non-trained individuals; however, the reason for this difference is not clear 2. Combining β-alanine with sodium bicarbonate has also been shown to further improve performance compared with β-alanine alone 2 3…”

Section: What We Knowmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Information dissemination from the meta-analysis2 and proper communication with athletes and coaches is fundamental in building an effective nutritional supplementation strategy. Athletes and coaches views and preferences should be considered with concurrent education on evidence-based supplement choices and strategies.…”

Section: Have We Missed Something? Tips To Improve the Impact Of Sciementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite its popularity, there is limited evidence on the most effective supplementation strategy and the systematic review and meta-analysis published by Sauders B et al 2 has shed some light on this issue. Athletes' understanding of β-alanine potential benefits and appropriate daily dose and duration of consumption is low,1 potentially compromising the impact of β-alanine supplementation in a real world setting.…”

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β-alanine efficacy for sports performance improvement: from science to practice

2016

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Section: What We Knowmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: What We Knowmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Have We Missed Something? Tips To Improve the Impact Of Sciementioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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β-alanine efficacy for sports performance improvement: from science to practice

2016

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“…Others have examined the efficacy of β-alanine1; however, its influence on repeated-sprint performance when combined with a structured training programme was unknown. Also I wanted to know if β-alanine would assist team sport athletes who are required to sprint repeatedly.…”

Section: Why Did I Do It?mentioning

confidence: 99%

β-alanine: performance effects, usage and side effects

Kelly

2017

Br J Sports Med

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β-alanine is a relatively new ergogenic aid and a number of questions relating to its effectiveness in enhancing high intensity exercise performance remain to be addressed. The five studies described in this thesis examined the influence of β-alanine supplementation and high intensity training on exercise capacity and considered factors that potentially influence dosage compliance and side effects -factors that may impact on the ergogenic value of β-alanine supplementation. Study 1 examined the efficacy of β-alanine supplementation in conjunction with repeated sprint and sprint interval training (and combined with a pre-exercise dose of sodium bicarbonate), on repeated-sprint ability and high intensity cycling capacity (time to fatigue at 110% of maximum power output). β-alanine supplementation, when combined with sprint and interval training, improved repeated sprint ability but did not influence high intensity cycle capacity. Furthermore, acute sodium bicarbonate ingestion improved high intensity cycle capacity before training but had no influence on either repeated sprint ability or exercise capacity after training. It is likely that intramuscular buffer capacity increased as a result of training and that this may have outweighed the potential ergogenic buffering effects of β-alanine and sodium bicarbonate (i.e., both alone and in combination).Study 2 investigated β-alanine supplementation use and level of knowledge amongst professional rugby union (n = 87), rugby league (n = 180) and Australian Rules Football (n = 303) players. Over half the professional footballers surveyed used β-alanine, yet most supplemented in a manner inconsistent with recommendations. A better understanding of the environment and culture within professional football codes is required before supplement use aligns with evidence-based β-alanine supplementation recommendations. In light of these findings, Study 3 examined compliance levels to β-alanine supplementation in an applied setting. Compliance over a 28 day period was 59% (± 24%) which was significantly lower than the mean compliance rate reported by others (96%) (p < 0.0001). It was concluded that the determinants of β-alanine (non-) compliance in athletes needed to be further investigated. Study 4 examined potential relationships between different β-alanine dosages and side effects. Healthy male participants were divided into low (< 75 kg) and high (> 85kg) body mass groups and completed three supplementation treatments: 1. a placebo, 2. β-alanine as a relative dose of 0.02 g·kgBM -1 and 3. β-alanine as an absolute dose of 1.6 g. For 90 min following supplementation in each condition, participants completed a questionnaire that sought responses to side effects. It was found that lighter individuals iii experienced fewer side effects when they supplemented with β-alanine as a dose relative to body mass; heavier individuals experienced fewer side effects when they consumed an absolute dose of 1.6 g. It was concluded that individualising the supplementation of β-alanine is...

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Plasma amino acid profiling improves predictive accuracy of adverse events in patients with heart failure

et al. 2021

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AimsThe clinical outcome of heart failure (HF) is complicated by the presence of multiple comorbidities including malnutrition and cachexia, and prediction of the outcome is still difficult in each patient. Metabolomics including amino acid profiling enables detection of alterations in whole body metabolism. The aim of this study was to determine whether plasma amino acid profiling improves prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with HF. Methods and resultsWe retrospectively examined 301 HF patients (70 ± 15 years old; 59% male). Blood samples for measurements of amino acid concentrations were collected in a fasting state after stabilization of HF. Plasma amino acid concentrations were measured using ultraperformance liquid chromatography. Clinical endpoint of this study was adverse event defined as all-cause death and unscheduled readmission due to worsening HF or lethal arrhythmia. During a mean follow-up period of 380 ± 214 days, 40 patients (13%) had adverse events. Results of analyses of variable importance in projection score, a measure of a variable's importance in partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed that the top five amino acids being associated with adverse events were 3-methylhistidine (3-Me-His), β-alanine, valine, hydroxyproline, and tryptophan. Multivariate Cox-proportional hazard analyses indicated that a high 3-Me-His concentration and low β-alanine and valine concentrations were independently associated with adverse events. When HF patients were divided according to the cut-off values of amino acids calculated from receiver operating characteristic curves, Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that event-free survival rates were lower in HF patients with high 3-Me-His than in HF patients with low 3-Me-His (68% vs. 91%, P < 0.01). In a subgroup with high 3-Me-His, HF patients with low β-alanine and those with low valine had significantly lower event-free survival rates than did HF patients with high β-alanine and those with high valine, respectively. On the other hand, Kaplan-Meier curves of event-free survival rates did not differ between HF patients with and those without low β-alanine and low valine in subgroups of patients with low 3-Me-His. Inclusion of both high 3-Me-His and low β-alanine or low valine into the adjustment model including N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide improved the accuracy of prediction of adverse events after discharge. 3-Me-His concentration was associated with muscle mass and nutritional status. Conclusions Simple measurement of 3-Me-His with either β-alanine or valine improved the predictive ability for adverse events, indicating the utility of plasma amino acid profiling in risk stratification of hospitalized HF patients.

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β-alanine supplementation to improve exercise capacity and performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Cited by 227 publications

References 74 publications

β-alanine efficacy for sports performance improvement: from science to practice

β-alanine efficacy for sports performance improvement: from science to practice

β-alanine: performance effects, usage and side effects

Plasma amino acid profiling improves predictive accuracy of adverse events in patients with heart failure

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