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Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis

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TLDR
A preliminary quantitative review of the literature through a meta-analysis found that β-alanine supplementation improves the outcome of exercise measures to a greater extent than placebo, and exercise lasting 60–240 s was improved, in line with the purported mechanisms for an ergogenic effect.
Abstract
Due to the well-defined role of β-alanine as a substrate of carnosine (a major contributor to H+ buffering during high-intensity exercise), β-alanine is fast becoming a popular ergogenic aid to sports performance. There have been several recent qualitative review articles published on the topic, and here we present a preliminary quantitative review of the literature through a meta-analysis. A comprehensive search of the literature was employed to identify all studies suitable for inclusion in the analysis; strict exclusion criteria were also applied. Fifteen published manuscripts were included in the analysis, which reported the results of 57 measures within 23 exercise tests, using 18 supplementation regimes and a total of 360 participants [174, β-alanine supplementation group (BA) and 186, placebo supplementation group (Pla)]. BA improved (P = 0.002) the outcome of exercise measures to a greater extent than Pla [median effect size (IQR): BA 0.374 (0.140–0.747), Pla 0.108 (−0.019 to 0.487)]. Some of that effect might be explained by the improvement (P = 0.013) in exercise capacity with BA compared to Pla; no improvement was seen for exercise performance (P = 0.204). In line with the purported mechanisms for an ergogenic effect of β-alanine supplementation, exercise lasting 60–240 s was improved (P = 0.001) in BA compared to Pla, as was exercise of >240 s (P = 0.046). In contrast, there was no benefit of β-alanine on exercise lasting <60 s (P = 0.312). The median effect of β-alanine supplementation is a 2.85% (−0.37 to 10.49%) improvement in the outcome of an exercise measure, when a median total of 179 g of β-alanine is supplemented.

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Journal ArticleDOI

Physiology and Pathophysiology of Carnosine

TL;DR: This paper summarizes a century of scientific exploration on the (patho)physiological role of carnosine and related compounds, and concludes that far more experiments are required to gain a full understanding of the function and applications of this intriguing molecule.
Journal ArticleDOI

β-alanine supplementation to improve exercise capacity and performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis

TL;DR: β-alanine had a significant overall effect while subgroup analyses revealed a number of modifying factors, which allow individuals to make informed decisions as to the likelihood of an ergogenic effect with β-alanines supplementation based on their chosen exercise modality.
Journal ArticleDOI

Physiological and Health-Related Adaptations to Low-Volume Interval Training: Influences of Nutrition and Sex

TL;DR: Both low-volume SIT and HIIT constitute relatively time-efficient training strategies to rapidly enhance the capacity for aerobic energy metabolism and elicit physiological remodeling that resembles changes normally associated with high-volume MICT.
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