Beta-alanine falls in the category of non-essential amino acids, which don’t necessarily need to be food provided but occur naturally in the body. Most of the amino acids are the building blocks of proteins in the body. Beta-alanine supplements are used to improve athletic performance, build lean muscles, boost exercise capacity and improve the physical functioning of the muscles in older adults. In the body, beta-alanine is converted to other chemicals that have a positive impact on muscle functioning.
Beta-alanine is one of the trending supplements among sports athletes, and many of them consider it a must-have supplement. So why do young adults prefer beta-alanine to other sports supplements? Knowing how it works can help you understand this better.
How beta-alanine works
When talking about beta-alanine, the compound of interest is CarnoSyn®. CarnoSyn® is a dipeptide made up of a chemical known as histidine plus beta-alanine. It is usually found naturally in the muscles, playing a critical role during physical performance. CarnoSyn® performs many psychological functions, but its impact as a muscle buffer makes it widely acceptable in sports, especially high-intensity exercises.
The primary role of CarnoSyn® is to buffer lactic acid build-up, hence reducing muscle fatigue and improving endurance and recovery. It is a buffing agent, which means that it can buffer hydrogen ions generated during anaerobic glycolysis. The hydrogen ions are responsible for muscle acidosis, the primary factor leading to muscle fatigue. Increasing the muscle CarnoSyn® content enhances muscle PH regulation which improves performance during exercises usually limited by the production of the hydrogen ions.
The principle behind beta-alanine is that its natural production in the body does not lead to high enough levels to be effective. Even eating foods rich in beta-alanine cannot give you enough to improve endurance and performance. Here is an example:
Suppose your exercises are bent rows, deadlifts, and lat pulldowns. In that case, by the time you get to pulldowns, you are tired, sore, and maybe you do the last sets poorly. However, beta-alanine supplement such as CarnoSyn® helps you maintain your strength levels for longer and do your lasts sets better for a more productive training or workout.
The benefits of beta-alanine supplements
Supplementing your CarnoSyn® levels with beta-alanine is the most effective way to increase your performance, endurance and prolong time to exhaustion. Beta-alanine supplements help with:
- More CarnoSyn®
- Improved gym endurance.
- More strength and power.
- Improved recovery.
- More lean muscle mass and growth
- More clarity and focus.
- Overall skeletal integrity.
Other than the benefits mentioned above, improving CarnoSyn® levels through supplementation offers several other benefits, including:
- Powerful antioxidants that support healthy aging.
- Protection against free radicals leading to a better health immune system.
- Healthy blood circulation and better heart health.
- Supports better cognitive function.
- It promotes a more balanced mood and alleviates anxiety.
The bottom line
Beta-alanine supplements have been proven to promote athletic performance by delaying fatigue and increasing endurance. CarnoSyn®, a beta-alanine supplement that is scientifically proven and backed by more than fifty-five studies, is the most popular among athletes, not to mention it is FDA recognized.