Key Points
- CarnoSyn® Beta-alanine is one of the most tested sports nutrition ingredients – both in the research lab and on the field.
- CarnoSyn® beta-alanine elevates muscle carnosine levels, which in turn, improves overall muscle performance and reduces muscular fatigue, helping you get extra reps.*
- For beta-alanine to be most effective, researchers recommend supplementing with 3.2 - 6.4g daily.
- Beta-alanine is responsible for the "itch" or "tingle" common from pre-workout supplements.
- There are several strategies to limit the itch.
If you’ve ever taken a pre-workout supplement, you’re probably familiar with the “itch” or “tingle” sensation.
Some people love the itchiness, for others, it’s a bit uncomfortable. In general, it’s nothing to worry about. It's a sign that your pre-workout has one of the most well-researched and effective ingredients for supporting performance and delaying muscle fatigue: beta-alanine.
In fact, Beta-alanine is on a short list of effective supplements. In the International Olympic Committee’s 2018 consensus statement on dietary supplements, they listed beta-alanine as one of only five supplements that directly improve sports performance.
What Is Beta-Alanine and How Does it Work?
While beta-alanine is an amino acid, it differs from most amino acids in the body.
In the body, Beta-alanine combines with the amino acid histidine to form a molecule called carnosine. Carnosine supports muscular endurance, particularly during high-intensity exercise.*
Carnosine can act as an intracellular buffer in muscle tissue, working to reduce the acid content of a muscle during exercise.
Through its muscle-buffering capabilities, carnosine delays muscle fatigue, increasing physical work capacity and muscular endurance.
Beta-alanine is the rate-limiting factor in the production of carnosine,. This means, low levels of beta-alanine hinder the body’s ability to produce carnosine.
Supplementing with Beta-alanine raises carnosine levels in the body, leading to performance benefits.
Performance Studies on CarnoSyn® Beta-Alanine
Research studies on CarnoSyn® Beta-alanine have tested a wide variety of athletes from cyclists, to football players, to rowers. Proper supplementation with beta-alanine can improve performance for all of them. Specifically, researchers have found that CarnoSyn® Beta-alanine increases exercise endurance and intensity, and peak work capacity.
A 28-day study on female master cyclists, which compared beta-alanine supplementation to a placebo group, found that the group that supplemented with beta-alanine saw an increased peak torque as well as work completed over those athletes in the placebo group.
A second study featuring high-level cyclists examined the effect of beta-alanine supplementation on a variety of performance tests. These cyclists took 6.4g of beta-alanine per day for four weeks, and were found to have extended endurance along with improved times in a 4000-m event.
On the field, researchers followed a group of amateur football players for 12 weeks. They investigated the impact of Beta-alanine on repeated sprint performance. The athletes who supplemented with beta-alanine demonstrated improved endurance in team sport-specific exercise capacity with a 34.3% increase in YoYo IR2 performance, in comparison to the placebo group.
Finally, researchers assessed the performance of well-trained rowers in a 2000-meter time trial while supplementing with beta-alanine. The researchers found that beta-alanine supplementation improved the speed of the rowers by 6.4 seconds in the time trials – a significant improvement for a race time of high-performance athletes.
The bottom line is clear. Beta-alanine has been extensively researched for sports performance. In particular, it improves performance during high-intensity exercise lasting 1-10 minutes, as this meta-analysis concludes.
Why Does Beta-Alanine Cause a Tingly Sensation?
Beta-alanine has a long track record of safety. The main drawback is the tingly sensation you get at high doses. However, this itchiness is a harmless side effect called paresthesia.
Paresthesia refers to many forms of odd tingling, like the feeling you get when your foot or arm “falls asleep.”
Although it may feel like a strange side effect and cause for concern, there’s nothing to worry about, and as your body metabolizes the beta-alanine, it will go away.
How to Reduce The Beta-Alanine Itch
With that said, the feeling can be uncomfortable, and you may want to take a few steps to limit it.
Look for TriBsyn™ Tingle-Free Beta-Alanine
The CarnoSyn® brand, which is on the cutting-edge of Beta-alanine science and supplementation, recently released a tingle-free form of Beta-alanine called TriBsyn™. At Kaged, our newest pre-workout, Pre-Workout Max, is the first to feature this innovative ingredient.
SEE PRE-WORKOUT MAX
It eliminates the "itch" by requiring a much lower dose to get the same effect. The 360mg dose in Pre-Workout Max is equivalent to a 1600mg (1.6g) dose.
Start With Half a Scoop
For other pre-workouts, there are other strategies to limit the tingles.
Kaged Pre-Workout and Pre-Workout Sport each have 1.6 grams of beta-alanine per scoop. If you’re new to taking pre-workouts, you may want to start with half a scoop to assess tolerance, especially if you've felt uncomfortable with the “itch” in the past.
Space Out the Dose
Another method is to take the dose over a longer period of time. This is one of the reasons why we recommend you sip your pre-workout over the course of 30 minutes before training. If you drink it quickly, the effects will hit you all at once.
The paresthesia effect also tends to become less intense if you consistently take beta-alanine. Second, many users get used to the feeling and even enjoy the tingles.
CarnoSyn®: A Patented Form of Beta-Alanine
Not all beta-alanine is created equal.
In all of our pre-workouts, we use a patented form of beta-alanine called CarnoSyn® Beta-Alanine.
With this form, you know you’re getting the same, high-quality beta-alanine every scoop. It’s also the form that has been extensively researched for its performance benefits, with over 55 clinical studies to back it up.
It’s also a plant-based form, so it’s the ideal choice for vegans and vegetarians.
How to Get the Most From CarnoSyn® Beta-Alanine
The optimal dosage is between 3.2 - 6.4g per day for improvements in performance.
If you’re taking a Kaged pre-workout, all of which contain Beta-alanine, you can stack SR CarnoSyn® to get the total daily amount you need.
In order to reap the rewards of beta-alanine, it’s advised to take it daily, even on non-training days. This way, you’ll saturate the cells, which takes approximately 90 – 179g, and ideally should be done over the course of 28 days.
A major benefit of SR CarnoSyn® is that the sustained release formula simplifies loading, allowing you to increase muscle carnosine with reduced paresthesia (the tingling sensation associated with beta-alanine).
Want More? Demand More? Pre-Workout Elite is For You
Many studies on beta-alanine use a higher dose, often up 3.2-6.4 grams. In Pre-Workout Elite, we include double the dose of CarnoSyn® beta-alanine with 3.2 grams in every scoop.
SHOP PRE-WORKOUT ELITE
Deciding Which Pre-Workout is Right For You?
We have 4 different types of pre-workouts. Each one is designed with different goals in mind. To learn about their differences and decide which is best for you, read this article on all Kaged Pre-Workouts.
FAQ
Do Any Other Ingredients Lead to the Tingling Sensation?
Niacin, a B vitamin, may also lead to some tingling sensations. As is the case with beta-alanine, this side effect is harmless and will go away.
Read why we include niacin in our pre-workouts in this article.
Do I Need to Get Beta-Alanine From Diet or Supplementation?
Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid. This means our body can make it on its own. However, for doses that are optimal for sports performance, you’ll want to focus on a diet with foods high in beta-alanine, or simply supplement with it.
Can I Get Beta-Alanine From Food?
Meat, chicken, and fish tend to have some of the highest levels of beta-alanine. In fact, meat eaters tend to have higher levels of carnosine overall.
If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, this may just mean one more reason to choose a pre-workout with an effective dose of beta-alanine.
What Dose Should I Take To Limit The Tingles?
As mentioned, you can start with half a scoop of Pre-Kaged or Pre-Kaged Sport, which would give you .8 grams of beta-alanine.
What Ingredients Does Beta-Alanine Stack Well With?
Beta-alanine works really well with other ingredients that support other areas of performance. For example, we also include BetaPower® betaine anhydrous in our pre-workouts because it supports power output and strength.
It also stacks well with l-citrulline, an amino acid that improves blood flow and muscle pumps.
By choosing an all-encompassing pre-workout, you’ll be checking off several boxes that improve your stamina, strength, energy, focus, and more.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
