Major clinical findings of β-alanine in sports performance: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Dietary supplements offer ergogenic aid in an attempt to increase energy, improve recovery and modulate body composition, enabling improved performance. Thus, β-alanine is a substrate of carnosine and is becoming an ergogenic aid for sports performance. Objective: To carry out a systematic review to highlight the main scientific evidence on the improvement of sports performance with the use of β-alanine. Methods: The PRISMA Platform rules were used. The research was developed using the SCOPUS, PUBMED, and SCIENCE DIRECT databases. The quality of the studies was based on the GRADE instrument and the risk of bias was analyzed according to the Cochrane instrument. Results and Conclusion: Studies have shown that β-alanine has an important ergogenic role in sports performance. Weeks of beta-alanine supplementation (4-6g per day) significantly increases muscle carnosine concentrations. The only side effect reported is paresthesia. Beta-alanine attenuates neuromuscular fatigue, particularly in older individuals. Also, combining beta-alanine with other supplements can be advantageous when beta-alanine supplementation is high enough (4-6 g per day) and long enough (minimum 4 weeks).