What is beta-alanine?

Beta-alanine is an amino acid produced in the liver. Beta-alanine has seen a surge in popularity over the last few years. Of all the products contained in the Supplement Database, 36% of them contain beta-alanine, making it the second most popular ingredient behind caffeine.

What is beta-alanine?

Beta-alanine is a non-essential, non-proteogenic amino acid; the body can make it on its own and it’s not used to build new proteins. While the body can make this amino acid in the liver, animal products are a great source. Beta-alanine is mainly used to manufacture carnosine; another amino acid involved in the functioning of skeletal muscle¹.

Carnosine is the real star in beta-alanine supplementation. Carnosine is a dipeptide made of beta-alanine and histidine. We can make carnosine on our own, however, the amount produced is limited by the availability of beta-alanine in the body² ³.

During moderate to high-intensity exercise, hydrogen ions cause a drop in muscular pH levels. This negatively affects muscle performance. Some research suggests that this decrease in pH causes muscular fatigue and impedes performance. Any strategy to blunt this decrease may lead to better performance⁴.

Carnosine acts as a buffer in muscle tissue and works to attenuate decreasing pH levels. Increasing levels of…