Effects of β-alanine supplementation on the onset of neuromuscular fatigue and ventilatory threshold in women

J. R. Stout, J. T. Cramer, R. F. Zoeller, D. Torok, P. Costa, J. R. Hoffman, R. C. Harris, J. O'Kroy

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145 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study examined the effects of 28 days of β-alanine supplementation on the physical working capacity at fatigue threshold (PWC FT), ventilatory threshold (VT), maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O2-MAX), and time-to-exhaustion (TTE) in women. Twenty-two women (age ± SD 27.4 ± 6.1 yrs) participated and were randomly assigned to either the β-alanine (CarnoSyn™) or Placebo (PL) group. Before (pre) and after (post) the supplementation period, participants performed a continuous, incremental cycle ergometry test to exhaustion to determine the PWCFT, VT, V̇O2-MAX, and TTE. There was a 13.9, 12.6 and 2.5% increase (p < 0.05) in VT, PWCFT, and TTE, respectively, for the β-alanine group, with no changes in the PL (p > 0.05). There were no changes for V̇O2-MAX (p > 0.05) in either group. Results of this study indicate that β-alanine supplementation delays the onset of neuromuscular fatigue (PWCFT) and the ventilatory threshold (VT) at submaximal workloads, and increase in TTE during maximal cycle ergometry performance. However, β-alanine supplementation did not affect maximal aerobic power (V̇O2-MAX). In conclusion, β-alanine supplementation appears to improve submaximal cycle ergometry performance and TTE in young women, perhaps as a result of an increased buffering capacity due to elevated muscle carnosine concentrations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)381-386
Number of pages6
JournalAmino Acids
Volume32
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2007
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Carnosine
  • Cycle ergometry
  • Electromyography
  • Ergogenic aids
  • β-Alanine

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