The Study
Beta-alanine supplementation enhances judo-related performance in highly-trained athletes.
This study shows that when judo athletes took a special supplement for 4 weeks, they did better at throwing their opponents in a test. But it doesn't prove the supplement caused it—maybe they trained harder or got luckier. Still, because they were randomly assigned, it's one of the best ways we have to guess if the supplement really helped.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
A supplement called beta-alanine helps fighters do more throws in a short, intense match by letting their muscles handle more lactic acid without getting as 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 546 / 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.
- 1Yes — in a sport where every extra throw matters, a 15–20% boost can mean the difference between winning and losing.
- 2Fighters who took beta-alanine did 15–20% more throws than those who took a sugar pill.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of science and medicine in sport
Year
2017
Authors
Caroline de Andrade Kratz, Vitor de Salles Painelli, Kleiner Márcio de Andrade Nemezio, R. P. da Silva, E. Franchini, A. Zagatto, B. Gualano, G. Artioli
Related Content
Claims (6)
In highly-trained judo athletes, taking beta-alanine raises blood lactate levels during intense exercise without changing blood pH or bicarbonate levels.
Taking beta-alanine supplements does not change blood pH or bicarbonate levels during intense exercise in elite judo athletes.
Beta-alanine supplementation improves performance in highly-trained judo athletes during short, intense bursts of repeated throws, but does not improve performance in other sports, untrained people, or endurance activities.
In highly-trained judo athletes, taking 6.4 grams of beta-alanine daily for four weeks increases the total number of throws performed in a standardized test by 15-20%, without changing blood pH or bicarbonate levels during exercise, and the performance improvement is linked to higher lactate production and tolerance.
Taking beta-alanine raises the amount of carnosine inside muscle cells, and this carnosine reduces hydrogen ion buildup during muscle activity at rest-level pH.
Taking 6.4 grams of beta-alanine daily for four weeks raises the amount of carnosine in the muscles of highly-trained judo athletes.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.