Beta-Alanine: For Women Too!
As we search for the perfect sports supplements, our quest leads us
to the compelling new science on Beta alanine. And this study is hot
of the presses! Much like two of the best supplements in the history
of sports supplementation, in our opinion, creatine and caffeine, Beta
alanine now proves itself to offer a multitude of benefits that may
specifically support the ladies as well as men! Caffeine seems to be
universally loved by all (especially us Java lovers), but can sometimes
cause jitters or restlessness; and although revered by many, creatine
is often avoided by women because of its possible effects on promoting
water weight gain (in addition to the gains in muscle mass). Well perhaps
there’s an ergogenic aid that helps women perform better without
causing the ‘bloats’ or jitters, What’s this stuff
called? Beta-alanine. A recently published study examined the effects
of 28 days of beta-alanine supplementation exercise performance of 22
women (avg age 27 years). Scientists discovered that beta-alanine supplementation
improves submaximal cycle ergometry performance and exercise time to
exhaustion in young women, perhaps as a result of an increased buffering
capacity due to elevated muscle carnosine concentrations.(1)
Bottom line: If you want to improve your performance during high-intensity
exercise, take about 3-4 grams of beta-alanine daily (in divided doses
of 1g or less per meal for three meals) for about a month and you’ll
see tremendous improvements.
References
1. Stout JR, Cramer JT, Zoeller RF, et al. Effects of beta-alanine supplementation
on the onset of neuromuscular fatigue and ventilatory threshold in women.
Amino Acids 2007;32:381-6.