Picture it: it’s 2008. You just double-scooped your new pre-workout, and now you feel like your skin is literally crawling. You read the ingredient label, and find something you probably haven’t seen before: Beta Alanine. Is the Beta Alanine itch “just a sensation”? Or are the effects a little more… sensational?
What is Beta Alanine?
Beta Alanine is a naturally occurring amino acid. It carries an additional carbon atom in comparison to the non-essential amino acid Alanine, which is found in a wide variety of foods.
Once ingested, Beta Alanine combines with the Histidine from your skeletal muscle (or other organs) to form Carnosine. Carnosine acts as a buffering agent against metabolic stress.
Beta Alanine is the rate-limiting factor for Carnosine production in the body, which is why it’s so effective at increasing Carnosine stores.
Why Does Beta Alanine Make You Itch?
Good question, since we haven’t found the exact mechanism in humans (yet). Animal models suggest that specific neurons are responsible for the Beta Alanine tingles. In rodents, a G-protein-coupled receptor known as MrgprD innervates the skin throughout the body. These receptors “respond” to Beta Alanine ingestion, which creates an intense itching/tingling feeling. The sensation usually presents in the face, chest, and extremities.
There’s a spectrum of how intensely you may feel this sensation, if at all, so your mileage may vary.
If you are a responder, this sensation is known as Paraesthesia. Despite the name being frighteningly close to “paralysis,” there’s no evidence that the Beta Alanine itch is anything more than a harmless, passing feeling with no physical detriments.
That’s not to say Paraesthesia can’t be annoying. Anecdotally, I’ve grown to become nauseous from the tingling sensation created by Beta Alanine (and now I avoid it entirely). For those who still want to take it, Paraesthesia can be mitigated by splitting up doses throughout the day. Sustained-release formulas also increase Carnosine stores in the same manner as the generic supplement while reducing Paraesthesia.
But that begs the question: does Beta Alanine provide any benefits to your physique or performance that would make it worthwhile to put up with all that tingling?
Beta-Alanine Benefits
Carnosine (and, therefore, Beta Alanine) combats drops in pH, acidosis, and neuromuscular fatigue. These types of stresses almost exclusively result from taxing the glycolytic system. This system fuels high-intensity exercises over moderate durations of roughly one to five minutes in length.
For reference, think of a 200-meter backstroke in swimming, or a 400-meter footrace.
In addition to buffering fatigue, Carnosine (and, therefore, Beta Alanine) is also implicated as a potential adjunct treatment for certain neurological diseases [2] due to its antioxidant properties. In overweight populations, it can also help control blood glucose and HbA1c levels. There’s even theoretical support for Carnosine/Beta Alanine to have anti-aging properties, since Carnosine depletion is associated with the aging process.
But What About Strength Training?
These benefits, speculative or otherwise, are all well and good. But the type of exercises that stand to benefit from Beta Alanine don’t exactly line up with conventional strength training. Any benefits to exercise performance are almost completely dependent on the duration of exercise. Significant effects are only seen in exercises taking one to four minutes in length.
In general, if multiple sets of high-intensity efforts usually take between 20-40 seconds and are interspersed with several minutes of rest, you’re not exactly taxing your glycolytic system much (or at all). Instead, you’re relying on the phosphagen system for short, intense bursts of energy.
It’s no surprise, then, that Beta Alanine supplementation fails to provide any significant improvements in strength development, muscle growth, or body composition when paired with a strength training routine.
There are supplements that actually influence the phosphagen system and produce observable effects for strength trainees, like creatine. But unfortunately, Beta Alanine doesn’t crack the list.
Paraesthesia Placebo?
We already know that caffeine derives any of its marginal effects on strength performance through psychological mechanisms. It really just puts you in a better mood and temporarily increases your pain tolerance.
It’s not farfetched to think that the itching and tingling from Beta Alanine could deliver a similar placebo effect when taken pre-workout, due to the observable sensation it provides.
While I’ve grown to hate the Beta Alanine itch, that hasn’t always been the case. My first few encounters with Beta Alanine were thrilling, specifically because of the tingling sensation. Over time, I equated that feeling with getting ready for a hard training session. It was something that helped put me in the right headspace and signal that it was “go time.”
As I cycled using Beta Alanine over the years, I actually grew to dislike the supplement altogether. The tingling sensation from a 3.2 – 5 gram dose (most common doses available) is downright uncomfortable.
There are tons of trainees in both buckets I just described. Some can’t train without it, others can’t stand it. If you’re in the former group, you may have made a cognitive association between the Beta Alanine itch and perceived improvements to performance.
Of course, if your Beta Alanine is included in a kitchen-sink preworkout supplement that is also chock full of various stimulants, you may be misattributing these perceived benefits entirely.
Regardless of where you fall on the “Paraesthesia spectrum,” there’s no evidence that the supplement or sensation help your gains.
Wrapping It All Up
If you’re familiar with any of Menno’s work (and especially the PT Course itself), you’re probably well aware that sensations you can directly feel don’t often correlate with your actual training goals. For instance, just because you’re drenched in sweat, have a good pump, and end up sore as hell, it doesn’t necessarily mean the workout you just did elicited any hypertrophy.
Much the same can be said about Beta Alanine itself. Just because it “feels like it’s working,” you should now be able to understand why that has very limited (i.e. almost no) utility as an adjunct for traditional strength training programs.
If you’re dabbling in the CrossFit realm, or carve out a significant portion of your training schedule for strength-endurance activities that tap into the glycolytic system, then Beta Alanine supplementation may be warranted.
But if the name of your game is gains, then you can leave this one on the shelf until further notice.
If you’re interested in more supp science, research findings, and analysis just like this, check out Menno’s PT Course, which provides an even deeper dive on a full array of health and fitness topics.