Introduction
According to Dr. Richard Nahas, beta-alanine is a naturally occurring amino acid that is also popular in supplements for its ability to improve workout performance. You can find it marketed as a workout enhancer and widely sold as a pre-workout supplement. Let’s check out if you should take beta-alanine every day.
The Discussion
1. Workout Benefits of Beta-Alanine –
Beta-alanine can improve your athletic performance by a great margin. It can boost both your performance and endurance during high-intensity exercises. Research shows that this amino acid can help you increase your time to exhaustion significantly. That means you can work out for longer periods and make the most out of your time at the gym or the track.
A study on cyclists shows that beta-alanine could increase their workout duration by over 10 per cent. Beta-alanine also helps out in shorter-duration exercises. Studies show that taking beta-alanine over several weeks can increase the time to exhaustion for short high-intensity workouts by almost 20 per cent. For older adults who have passed their prime, beta-alanine can enhance muscle endurance. If you’re into resistance training, beta-alanine can reduce fatigue and increase your training volume.
2. Other benefits of beta-alanine –
Research shows that beta-alanine may also help your body composition. One study shows that just three weeks of supplements with beta-alanine increased lean muscle mass. However, the evidence isn’t conclusive since the results have been inconsistent in other studies. Beta-alanine also boosts your carnosine levels.
Carnosine is a dipeptide that’s naturally synthesized by your body. Increased production due to beta-alanine can be good for your overall health. Studies show that carnosine can reduce oxidative stress and reduce free radicals in your body and improve the function and quality of your muscles.
3. Food sources –
If you don’t want to get artificial beta-alanine supplements, you can have them by consuming food sources rich in that amino acid. The best sources of beta-alanine are poultry, fish and meat. Unfortunately, beta-alanine is not found in anything apart from animal products. That’s why vegans and vegetarians have around half the amount of carnosine in their muscles.
4. Dosage –
You can take beta-alanine as a regular supplement if you control the dosage. The standard daily dosage of beta-alanine is around 2 to 5 grams. You can boost your carnosine levels if you get a beta-alanine supplement with a meal. If you don’t limit the dosage of beta-alanine, it may cause paraesthesia where you feel a tingling of the skin.
The intensity of the uncomfortable tingling sensation increases with the dosage. In severe cases, you may also experience a drop in taurine levels. If taurine levels in your muscles start dropping drastically, your muscles would be dehydrated and weakened, defeating the entire purpose of taking beta-alanine.
Conclusion
Dr. Richard Nahas suggests that you may take beta-alanine as a regular and safe supplement for improving your workouts and physical performance. You’ll get great results if you’re trying to improve your exercise recovery and endurance without risking long-term health.
