The Study
Effects of 28 days of beta-alanine and creatine monohydrate supplementation on aerobic power, ventilatory and lactate thresholds, and time to exhaustion
This study gave different supplements to groups of guys and measured how well they could ride a bike before and after. It didn't find that one group did better than the others, so we can't say the supplements definitely helped. But one group did get a little better over time—maybe because they practiced, not because of the pills.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave young men either beta-alanine, creatine, both, or a sugar pill for a month and tested how long they could ride a bike before getting tired.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 554 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1No, the improvements weren't real — they were just from doing the test twice, not from the supplements working.
- 2None of the supplements made people last longer than the sugar pill.
- 3Some guys got better at the test, but so did the sugar pill group — probably because they practiced more.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Amino Acids
Year
2007
Authors
R. Zoeller, Jeffrey R Stout, J. O'kroy, D. Torok, M. Mielke
Related Content
Claims (5)
Taking beta-alanine and creatine together for 28 days does not improve aerobic performance metrics such as endurance, breathing thresholds, or time to exhaustion in healthy young men, compared to a placebo.
After 28 days of taking beta-alanine and creatine supplements, healthy young men showed improvements in five endurance measures, but these improvements were no greater than those seen in a placebo group, meaning the changes were likely due to repeated testing or normal fluctuations, not the supplements.
Taking beta-alanine for 28 days does not change aerobic power, ventilatory threshold, lactate threshold, or time to exhaustion in healthy young men compared to taking a placebo.
Taking beta-alanine and creatine monohydrate together does not lead to better aerobic endurance gains than taking either supplement by itself in healthy young men after 28 days.
Taking creatine monohydrate daily for 28 days does not change aerobic power, ventilatory threshold, lactate threshold, or time to exhaustion in healthy young men compared to taking a placebo.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.