β-Alanine: Physiological Roles and Kinetics of Ingestion

β-Alanine is a non-essential amino acid that is produced naturally in the body. It is one of the world's most commonly used sports supplements, and its use as a nutritional strategy in other populations is ever-increasing, due to evidence of pleiotropic ergogenic and therapeutic benefits. 

Physiological Role

β-Alanine is a naturally occurring amino acid not used by the body to make muscle tissue.  B-alanine works by increasing the muscle content of an important compound – carnosine. Carnosine plays a role in muscle endurance in high-intensity exercise. In fact, the production of carnosine is limited by the availability of B-alanine. Carnosine is highly concentrated in muscle tissue where its role is primarily to soak up hydrogen ions.

Kinetics of Ingestion

β-Alanine is synthesized in the liver and can be ingested in the diet through animal-based foods like beef and chicken. Once ingested, beta-alanine combines with histidine within skeletal muscle and other organs to form carnosine — the role of which is to maintain the acid-base balance in skeletal muscles, the brain, and the heart. Beta-alanine is the limiting factor in muscle carnosine synthesis.

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