Effects of b-alanine supplementation on strength performance

• Grant number: 15/23072-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2016
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physical Education
• Principal Investigator: Hamilton Augusto Roschel da Silva
• Grantee: Diogo Bassinello Bonoli do Carmo
• Host Institution: Escola de Educação Física e Esporte (EEFE). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 16/18901-2 - The effects of carnosine on SERCA activity, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

Carnosine is synthesized from histidine and beta-alanine. The latter is considered the limiting factor for carnosine synthesis and, when ingested via supplementation, it induces significant increases in carnosine levels within the skeletal muscle, positively modulating the acid-basic regulation in muscle, which is the major physiological role of muscle carnosine. Several studies have shown that beta-alanine supplementation is ergogenic for predominantly anaerobic physical activities. In this sense, strength training (ST) is one of the activities that could benefit from this nutritional strategy, as there is enough evidence to infer that muscle acidosis is one of the limiting factors for strength endurance performance. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the effects of four weeks of beta-alanine supplementation on strength performance. Twenty young male adults (18-30 years) will be selected and undergo familiarization sessions to the strength tests in order to ensure data reproducibility. Subjects will be considered familiarized when their individual performance variation between sessions is less than5%. After that, subjects will be random allocated in one of the two groups, 1)beta-alanine or 2) malt dextrin (placebo) (PL) supplementation. Maximum dynamic strength (1-RM) and strength endurance (number of repetitions performed at 70% of 1-RM to concentric failure) will be assessed before (PRE) and after (POST) the 28-day supplementation period (6,4 grams/day in slow-release tablets of either beta alanine or malt dextrin divided in two doses of 800 milligrams, 4 times a day with intervals of 3 to 4 hours). During the strength resistance tests, blood samples (5 ml) will be collected at rest, after the fourth and eighth sets and 5 minutes after the test for blood pH, lactate and bicarbonate determinations. Data will be tested through a mixed-model for repeated measures assuming group and time as fixed factors and subjects as random factor. A Tukey post-hoc will be employed for multiple comparisons in case of a significant F-value. Significance level will be set at p < 0.05.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BASSINELLO, DIOGO; PAINELLI, VITOR DE SALLES; DOLAN, EIMEAR; LIXANDRAO, MANOEL; CAJUEIRO, MONIQUE; DE CAPITANI, MARIANA; SAUNDERS, BRYAN; SALE, CRAIG; ARTIOLI, GUILHERME G.; GUALANO, BRUNO; et al. Beta-alanine supplementation improves isometric, but not isotonic or isokinetic strength endurance in recreationally strength-trained young men. Amino Acids, v. 51, n. 1, p. 27-37, JAN 2019. (13/14746-4, 17/04973-4, 16/50438-0, 16/10993-5, 15/23072-2, 13/04806-0, 15/11328-2)