The Study
beta-Alanine supplementation augments muscle carnosine content and attenuates fatigue during repeated isokinetic contraction bouts in trained sprinters.
This study gave some sprinters a special supplement and others a fake one, then saw what happened. It found that the real supplement made a muscle chemical go up and helped them keep pushing harder during repeated sprints. But it didn't help them run the 400m faster. So we know it works for one thing, but not everything.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study tested if taking beta-alanine daily for a month helps sprinters stay strong during repeated hard efforts.
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 560 / 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.
- 1The supplement helped athletes resist fatigue during repeated bursts of effort, like doing many sprints in a row, but didn't help with one all-out sprint or holding a muscle contraction.
- 2Muscle carnosine went up by 47% in one calf muscle and 37% in another.
- 3Torque improved by 6.1% in the 4th set and 3.8% in the 5th set of knee extensions.
- 4No improvement in holding a static position or running 400 meters.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of applied physiology
Year
2007
Authors
W. Derave, M. Ozdemir, R. Harris, Andries Pottier, H. Reyngoudt, K. Koppo, J. Wise, E. Achten
Related Content
Claims (7)
Taking beta-alanine improves performance during high-intensity exercise lasting 1 to 4 minutes, especially when the exercise continues until exhaustion.
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy can measure carnosine levels in human calf muscles without surgery, and the gastrocnemius muscle has higher baseline carnosine levels than the soleus muscle due to differences in muscle fiber types.
Taking 4 to 6 grams of beta-alanine every day for four weeks raises muscle carnosine levels by 40 to 60 percent.
Taking beta-alanine for four weeks at 4.8 grams per day does not make trained athletes faster in a 400-meter sprint, even though it raises muscle carnosine levels, suggesting that acid buildup in muscles does not limit top-level sprinting performance.
In trained sprinters, taking beta-alanine reduces fatigue during multiple high-intensity knee extension efforts, increasing peak torque by 6.1% in the fourth bout and 3.8% in the fifth bout, but has no effect on single maximal efforts or sustained isometric contractions.
Taking beta-alanine does not improve the ability of trained sprinters to hold a static muscle contraction at 45% of their maximum strength. Its effect on reducing fatigue only occurs during repeated muscle movements, not during sustained static efforts.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.