During high intensity exercise, lactic acid is formed in the muscles and splits into lactate and hydrogen ions (H+). These H+ ions cause the blood and muscle to become more acidic (a drop in pH) which ihas a negative effect on performance. when the muscle pH drops from 7.0 to 6.5 (or lower), the muscle losses contractility and strength thus making it impossible to continue to exercise at the same intensity. Therefore, to cope with this acidity the body uses buffers. Carnosine is a muscular buffer.
Carnosine it made up of histidine and beta-alanine. We have plenty of histidine in our body, but not of beta-alanine. Therefore the amount of beta-alanine influences how much carnosine is made. Therefore, beta-alanine supplementation may help to increase the amount of muscle carnosine, a buffer of acidity in high-intensity exercise. The body may therefore be able to cope with higher levels acidification.
The addition of Zinc in Etixx Beta-alanine Slow Release contributes to a normal acid-base metabolism.
Who can benefit from using Beta-Alanine?
It has been scientifically proven that beta-alanine can improve performance for high-intensity exercise lasting at least a few minutes, for both recreational and well-trained athletes. Exercises of less than 1 minute are unlikely to benefit from beta-alanine use.
Firstly, beta-alanine is recommended for those who perform sustained high intensity exercise lasting 1-7 minutes, such as 800m-3000m running. Similarly, it may improve performance in high intensity interval training which can be incorporated into training programmes for all types of athletes. In line with this, it could be useful for delaying fatigue in team sports such as football which require repeated bouts of high intensity sprints. Finally, endurance athletes can benefit from taking beta-alanine in situations such as a sprint finish or hill climb.