Beta-Alanine
Frequently Asked Questions
If beta-alanine is found in fish and meat why do I need a supplement?
Why CarnoSyn® and not other brands?
How much CarnoSyn® beta-alanine should I use?
Why not take all 4 CarnoSyn® tablets at once?
Who benefits from beta alanine?
Why not supplement with carnosine if this is what the body makes from CarnoSyn® beta-alanine?
What should I expect to get from CarnoSyn®?
Is CarnoSyn® tested for top competition athletes?
What's the advantage of CarnoSyn® tablets over powder beta-alanine?
This is of course an important question. Remember, beta-alanine forms a natural part of any mixed diet and we have, therefore, been consuming beta-alanine at all times throughout history. Supplementing with additional beta-alanine simply raises the intake without having to eat excessive quantities of meat every day.
Already, published studies running to 12 weeks of continuous supplementing measuring 25 haematological and hormonal markers have shown no negative changes whatsoever and longer studies are still on going.
Yes it is. Beta-alanine is a natural beta amino acid, and as a normal part of muscle beta-alanine is found in fish and meats. It is a natural part of any mixed diet. CarnoSyn® just adds the extra beta-alanine needed to raise our levels of carnosine in muscle without all the meat.
If beta-alanine is found in fish and meat why do I need a supplement?
Just two servings of CarnoSyn® delivers beta-alanine equivalent to about a kilogram of chicken breast meat! That means you’d have to eat an extra Kg of chicken every day on top of your normal balanced diet just to get the same benefit.
Why CarnoSyn® and not other brands?
- CarnoSyn® is the only time release form developed meaning we can put in more without causing the parestheasia that an equivalent amount of beta-alanine powder would.
- CarnoSyn® was used in much of the original research into the effects of beta-alanine supplementation on exercise.
- It is backed by original sponsors and researchers.
- CarnoSyn® is the only licensed beta-alanine product. None of the others can claim this. They're breaking patent law and are open to prosecution. Question - Can you trust a supplier who does that for safety and quality?
All this and we have staff who were actively involved in the original research (have a look at the Scientific Research Bibliography). Because of this we have an in depth scientific understanding of both where CarnoSyn® comes from and what it does.
Published in 2007, Professor Roger Harris and colleagues compared muscle carnosine levels of 76 people whose activity levels ranged from sedentary to endurance trained. Of these the vegetarians had the lowest levels at 12.9 mmol.kg dm*. Pescetarians, who eat fish but not meat, had 19.5 mmol.kg dm, whilst those who ate meat showed levels ranging from 23.3 to 33.6 mmol.kg dm. That means that in this study the vegetarians were found to have from 66% to just 38% of the carnosine levels of their meat eating counter parts, and potentially could show the greatest gains.
*mmol.kg dm simply tells us how much carnosine there would be per kg of muscle so that samples can be compared easily ("dm" simply means the amounts are calculated as if the sample was dried - this just eliminates possible differences caused by different hydration levels at the time the sample was taken).
How much CarnoSyn® beta-alanine should I use?
The best way is to take 2 tablets in the morning and 2 caps in the afternoon. This gives a total of 3.2g per day.
Why not take all 4 CarnoSyn® tablets at once?
It's divided into two lots because these are sustained release tablets. That means it can be absorbed for longer and more will get into your muscles. If you take them all at once it will peak and clear from your system before you've absorbed the maximum possible. Dividing it into two lots is just more efficient.
Who benefits from beta alanine?
Increasing muscle carnosine increases lactic acid H+ ion buffering capacity – and lactic acid H+ ion accumulation is the major and fundamental cause of rapid fatigue. Anyone involved in sport, training and exercise can benefit. The more intense the sport or training the greater the potential benefit is. This includes training for increasing maximal power endurance, for lean muscle gains.
Why not supplement with carnosine if this is what the body makes from CarnoSyn® beta-alanine?
Because when you ingest carnosine from food one of the first things the body does is to break it down into its two component parts, beta-alanine and histidine. The small amount of carnosine that is absorbed intact across from the intestine into the blood stream is then broken down by the enzyme carnosinase.
Supplementing with histidine has already been shown to be ineffective - it's just not the part the body is short of. However, beta-alanine has now been clearly shown to be effective and the fraction that the body requires and responds to. But since only approximately 40% of the carnosine by weight is beta alanine and since manufacturing carnosine itself adds cost, supplementing with beta-alanine directly, without question, is the logical choice.
What should I expect to get from CarnoSyn®?
CarnoSyn® beta-alanine raises muscle carnosine levels by, on average, 80% after supplementing. We know carnosine is a major lactic acid buffer in muscle, fighting and counteracting the fatigue and burn caused by lactic acid build up. Supplementing with CarnoSyn® means you can tolerate more lactic acid, and therefore more exercise, and sustain sprint and power output.
Is CarnoSyn® tested for top competition athletes?
Yes. Every lot of CarnoSyn® is tested at a World Anti Doping Agency certified ISO17025 accredited laboratory and bears the Informed Choice logo as proof.
Basically the name describes the structure. These are relatively small molecules that have an amino group and a carboxylic acid group.
Because an amino group can bond to an adjacent carboxylic acid group these molecules can link up to form chains. And there you have the structure of proteins - just chains of amino acids, that's all they are, including any protein in food.
I've heard some people get an intense paresthesia sensation about 20 minutes after taking powder beta-alanine. Is this true? What is it?
Powder beta-alanine causes an intense paresthesia sensation even when it is supplied at levels as low as just 20mg per kg body weight. Typically it starts about 20 minutes and may last for up to 1 hour. It's caused by the beta-alanine getting absorbed across the gut into the blood stream very rapidly and subsequently transported too quickly into muscle and CNS cells. This is accompanied by a temporary but rapid release of taurine from the cells.
To get around this in some studies the subjects were given their beta-alanine in small doses up to 8 times through the day. This is of course totally unfeasible for anyone wanting to supplement. Therefore CarnoSyn® Controlled Release beta-alanine, was developed. Because the beta-alanine is released slowly our CarnoSyn® beta-alanine doesn’t produced the intense parathesia that the same amount of powder will. In fact CarnoSyn® beta-alanine contains much more beta-alanine than anyone would accept in powder form!
It just isn't possible to make a time release liquid form because ANYTHING in liquid is always readily available to be absorbed much much faster than from a solid form. And any powder supplements will have to be given in small doses several times a day. It is extremely likely that supplements claiming to supply gram quantities of beta-alanine, in a powder mix, just don't have as much in them as is claimed on the label. If there is you'll find out within about 20 minutes when a very uncomfortable "itchy-heat" parathesia sensation starts.
This is the reason to use a controlled time release form rather than powders.
What's the advantage of CarnoSyn® tablets over powder beta-alanine?
Simply, it's slow release so we can put more in. Therefore you only need two tablets in the morning and two in the evening.
CarnoSyn® just contains other standard non-active ingredients like those found in any ordinary things such as vitamin tablets to stop them breaking or crumbling.