Table 1.
Summary of the effects of β-ALA supplementation on muscle carnosine concentrations.
| Authors | Population | Supplementation Protocol | Muscle Carnosine Concentration Effects | Performance Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baguet et al., 2009 [56] | 20 physically active males | 5-6 weeks of β-ALA or placebo (maltodextrin) | In soleus, carnosine increased 30% (p=0.003) with β-ALA and remained stable with placebo (p=0.867) | None measured |
| 2.4 g/day - first 2 days | In tibialis anterior, carnosine increased 27% (p=0.005) with β-ALA and decreased 17% (p=0.05) with placebo | |||
| 3.6 g/day - days 3-4 | In gastrocnemius, carnosine increased 23% (p=0.038) and did not change with placebo (p=0.740). | |||
| 4.8 g/day to end of study | Carnosine elimination was measured at 3 and 9 weeks after supplementation period | |||
| At 3 weeks, only 26.1% (in the soleus), 20.1% (in tibialis anterior) and 44.7% (in the gastrocnemius) of the increase had disappeared. There was no difference between β-ALA and placebo at this point (p=0.431) | ||||
| At 9 weeks, carnosine levels in all 3 muscles returned to initial values | ||||
| Harris et al., 2006 [7] | Study 3:21 physically active males Ages 26.1 ± 5.6 yrs | 4 weeks, 4 groups (I - IV): I) 800mg β-ALA x 4 daily (avg. 3.2g daily and 89.6g 4wk total)II) 8 daily doses of either 400 or 800mg β-ALA (avg. 6.4g daily and 145.6g 4wk total)III) 8 daily doses of 1000 or 2000 mg L-carnosine (364g 4wk total L-carnosine, corresponding to 143.3g β-ALA) IV) Placebo of maltodextrin at doses to match groups II and III | Increase in carnosine concentration greatest with carnosine supplementation, followed by group II, then group II β-ALA protocols. | None measured |
| Mean increase over 4 weeks (mmol·kg-1dm) | ||||
| I) 7.80 ± .36 (p < .05) | ||||
| II) 11.04 ± 2.68 (p < .05) | ||||
| III) 16.37 ± 3.03 (p < .05) | ||||
| IV) 1.87 ± 1.73 (p>.05) | ||||
| Derave et al., 2007 [5] | 15 male track athletes (sprinters) 18-24 yrs | 4-5 weeks β-ALA or placebo (maltodextrin) | Soleus: | No difference between groups for 400m running performance |
| 2.4g/day - first 4 days | ↑ 47% with β-ALA | |||
| 3.6g/day - days 5-8 | No change with placebo | |||
| 4.8g/day to end of study | Gastrocnemius: | |||
| ↑ 37% with β-ALA | ||||
| No change with placebo | ||||
| Hill et al., 2007 [6] | 25 physically active males | 10 weeks β-ALA: | β-ALA group, ↑ from 19.0 to 30.1 mmol/kg (58.8%) at 4 weeks and up to 34.7 mmol/kg (80.1%) at 10 weeks | No effect on body mass |
| 4g/day - wk 1 | Not significant between weeks 4 and 10 | ↑cycling capacity time at 110% with β-ALA | ||
| 4.8g/day - wk 2 | ||||
| 5.6g/day - wk 3 | ||||
| 6.4g/day - wk 4-10 |