Beta-Alanine Does not Make it From Bench to Pool Side: Are the Effects Too Short-Lived? Is Swimming the Wrong Sport? Or Was the Dosage of 3.2g/day Simply Too Low?

Michael Phelbs holding his record-setting 19th Olympic medal. According to the results of the latest Australian study on the real-world effects of beta alanine supplementation during the training and competitive season in elite national level swimmers the touted ergogenic is unlikely to have helped him win only one of those.

As the headline of today's SuppVersity post already suggests, a recently published paper by scienstists from the Australian Institute of Sport, the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL), and the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC) does unfortunately raise about as many new questions about the real-world value of beta-alanine supplementation as it answers. And that despite the fact that the researchers originally set out to bridge the existing gap between the existing research on beta-alanine supplementation, which involves mainly non-elite participants and laboratory-based performance tests, which do not necessarily relate to elite level sport, on the one hand, and the real world effects of beta-alanine "supplementation in elite athletes on training and competition in a real-world setting" (Chung. 2013), on the other hand.

Beta alanine doesn't make it from bench to pool edge...

In the course of the 10-week study the researchers measured the exercise performance, as well as lactate levels, blood pH and bicarbonate levels of the 60 (34 male and 26 female)elite/sub-elite swimmers they had convinced to take part in the study after they had taken part in standardized tests, which were designed to to tailor to the athletes' individual race distances...

Figure 1: Schematic timeline of study design (Chung. 2013)

• Sprint: 4 × 50-m on a 3 min cycle (maximal) + 100-m maximal effort 
• Middle distance: 6 × 50-m on a 2 min cycle (maximal) + 200-m maximal effort 
• Distance: 8 × 50-m on a 1.5 min cycle (maximal) + 200-m maximal effort 

...at the beginning, after 4 weeks and at the end of the study (week 10). With the exception of the testing days, the athletes followed their own training and competition schedule while supplemented with

• 4.8 g per day (two 800 mg tablets, three times daily) of beta-alanine or placebo with meals in the initial 4-week loading phase and
• 3.2 g/day (two tablets, twice daily) of beta-alanine or placebo for the remainder of the study period (6-week maintenance phase). 

Needless to say that all supplements, regardless of whether they contained the active sustained release beta-alanine from Musashi (Australia) or the maltodextrin placebo from GMP Pharmaceuticals, looked absolutely identical.

Were the results skewed due to the insufficient blinding of the study? No, "the beta-alanine supplemented swimmers who correctly guessed their treatment did not perform better that those who believed they were on placebo." (Chung. 2013)

Yet despite these precautions and the use of porportedly tingling free sustained preparations 10 out of 12 respondents in the BA group (total participant in this group n=22) who correctly guessed the identity of the supplement they received reported mild paraesthesia. In the placebo group on the other hand, "12 out of 19 respondents guessed correctly, attributing it to the absence of side effects (5 respondents) and taste (3 respondents)." (Chung. 2013)

And that did not work at all?

When the title of this post says that "beta-alanine does not make it from bench to pool side", this is actually not quite correct. With a reference value of 0.3% for the smallest worthwhile change used to compare the competition performance and an outcome measure being deemed unclear when the confidence interval crossed limits for both a substantially positive and negative effect, the statistical analysis of the data of the 43 swimmers that did not drop out due to injuries or simply lost interest in the study at one point or another, showed that

"[t]here was an unclear effect (0.4%; ±0.8%, mean, ±90% confidence limits) of beta-alanine on competition performance compared to placebo with no meaningful changes in blood chemistry, as well as an unclear effect at ten weeks (−0.2%; ±1.5%) and no meaningful changes in blood chemistry." (Chung. 2013)

It is therefore hard to debate the researcher's conclusion that contrary to the results observed in artificial laboratory settings, "[b]eta-alanine supplementation appears to have minimal effect on swimming performance in non-laboratory controlled real-world training and competition settings." (my emphasis; Chung. 2013)

Couldn't it be that 4 weeks and/or 4.8g instead of 3.2g the magic numbers?

Whether this "failure" is only a result of the "non.laboratory controlled real.world training and competition setting", appears yet questionable. After all, the data in figure 2 goes to show you that there are "small difference" in lactate concentrations, specifically in week 4:

Figure 2: Blood ph and bicarbonate concentrations after the standardized exercise tests in week 0, week 4 and week 10 expressed relative pre-test values (left) and corresponding lactate concentration (right) expressed relative to average in all trial (11.6 mmol/l; data adapted from Chung. 2013)

And while lower lactate levels are usually indicative of lower exercise performance due to lower buffering (and thus higher lactic acid production), the higher intra-cellular buffer capacity due to  the beta-alanine induced increases in carnosine stores, did yield even smaller, but measurable perfomance increases in the corresponding tests in week 4, when the race perfomance times transiently improved by −1.3% in the beta alanine group.

Based on the latter observation, we can negate the second of the three questions in the headline, because if we assume that these performance increases, as transient as they may have been were real, this means that swimmers can benefit from beta-alanine supplementation - even if the benefit is marginal. We are now however still left with the first and second question from the headline, I want to briefly address before we go on to the implications and conclusion of today's blogpost.

Figure 3: Muscle carnosine levels in bodybuilders and untrained controls (data based on Tallon. 2005)

1. Are the effects of beta alanine only short lived and chronic supplementation useless? This hypothesis would actually be somewhat supported by the results of Hill et al. who found that the total work done during a cycling capacity test increased by 13% over placebo after 4 weeks but kept increasing only 3.2% in the remaining 6 weeks, before the study ended (Hill. 2007). This is clear cut evidence for the non-linear and certainly not accumulative nature of the ergogenic effects of beta-alanine (and a vast amount of other processes in nature, by the way, linearity is more or less the exception from the rule, so to say ;-)
   
   Moreover these effect were observed in recreationally active men, in whom the effects of beta-alanine supplemetation are probably lower to begin with, we could speculate that this "diminishing returns effect", as you may call it, would be even more pronounced in trained athletes. After all, especially those, in whom muscle carnosine levels actually matter, i.e. sprinters, weight lifters and, as the data in figure 3 goes to show,  bodydbuilders do already have much higher muscle carnosine concentrations than age-matched untrained subjects (in the absence of supplementation, of course!).
    
2. Do you need a higher dosage than just 3.2g/day if you are an athlete athlete? 15 out of 18 studies in Hobson et al. 2013 meta-review used doses between 4.0 - 6.0g/day (Hobson. 2013). In only four of those studies the subjects were anywhere near "professional" athletes. As mentioned before strength athletes, sprinters and everyone else who would be particularly prone to benefit from beta alanine tends to have already higher intramuscular carnosine levels (cf. figure 3). Against that background, it appears only reasonable to assume that elite athletes would require higher doses of beta-alanine than rookies or non-trained individuals to increase their intramuscular carnosine stores (which is the whole point in supplementing with beta-alanine) even further. On the other hand, it is likewise possible that a further increase simply won't take place or is too small, irrespective of the dose to result in real world performance increases.

And if neither of those two hypothesis holds, it may still all come down to the outcome measures researcher use to gauge the effects. In this regards, Chung et al. rightfully state that their results are actually in accordance with the most recent meta-analysis by Hobson and colleagues (Hobson. 2013), who discussed divergent research findings from studies utilizing “capacity” and “performance” type protocols.

"Hobson and colleagues found that beta-alanine supplementation had a moderate effect on exercise capacity while having no benefit on measures of exercise performance due to the employment of pacing strategies." (Chung. 2013).

Conversely, Chung et al. saw minimal improvements in the high-intensity training “capacity” sets of their standardized testing protocol (the 4-8x 50m sprints), yet not in the far more imporant “performance” measure, i.e. competition component of their investigation.

Figure 4: With a carnosine washout time of at least 9 weeks (in "low responders") there is no reason to take BA chronically (data shows skeletal muscle carnosine in healthy untrained men relative to baseline at week T=-5/-6 after 5-6 weeks of 4.8 g/day β-alanine supplementation; based on Baguet. 2009)

Bottom line: Overall the results of the study at hand do therefore not confute the use of beta alanine as an ergogenic aid, per se. They should however make you reconsider, whether the simple addition of the suggested 3.2g/day of beta-alanine to an at least for some of you already borderline excessive supplement regimen is really necessary and whether shorter, yet maybe higher dose cyclic supplementation at time points, where you are most likely to benefit from the 1-2% performance gain in training capacity (e.g. phases of planned over-reaching, the high volume phase of a macrocycle, etc.) would not be a more prudent way to use beta-alanine. After all, the data in figure 4, though once again from untrained individuals, shows that it takes roughly 9 weeks even in the "low responders" for the increase in skeletal muscle carnosine to be reversed again.

There is no need to take it religiously day in day out, then, because there is as of yet no evidence that a couple of workouts would decrease the tissue level of carnosine, again.In fact, the naturally increased carnosine levels in athletes (see figure 3) would rather suggest that the exact opposite is the case, i.e. that exercise in the presence of an adequate nutrient supply would increase the carnosine buffer of your muscles, anyway.


References:

• Baguet A, Reyngoudt H, Pottier A, Everaert I, Callens S, Achten E, Derave W. Carnosine loading and washout in human skeletal muscles. J Appl Physiol. 2009 Mar;106(3):837-42. 
• Chung W, Shaw G, Anderson ME, Pyne DB, Saunders PU, Bishop DJ, Burke LM. Effect of 10 Week Beta-Alanine Supplementation on Competition and Training Performance in Elite Swimmer. Nutrients. 2013; 4:1441-1453.
• Hill CA, Harris RC, Kim HJ, Harris BD, Sale C, Boobis LH, Kim CK, Wise JA. Influence of beta-alanine supplementation on skeletal muscle carnosine concentrations and high intensity cycling capacity. Amino Acids. 2007 Feb;32(2):225-33.
• Hobson, R.; Saunders, B.; Ball, G.; Harris, R.; Sale, C. Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: A meta-analysis. Amino Acids 2013, 43, 25–37.
• Tallon MJ, Harris RC, Boobis LH, Fallowfield JL, Wise JA. The carnosine content of vastus lateralis is elevated in resistance-trained bodybuilders. J Strength Cond Res. 2005 Nov;19(4):725-9. PubMed PMID: 16287364.

Shed 11% of Your Total Fat Mass in 3 Weeks: Altitude Training Melts Fat & Builds Muscle in Elite Swimmers

Don't tell me you don't have one of these masks at home - I mean how can you expect to have 6pack abs, then  ;-)

Isn't it remarkable? It's Thursday again! Unfortunately for you (and in a way for me, because this means I got more to do) Adelfo is still for cramming for his exams so no update from "Your's Truly" this week, but a regular SuppVersity from my side. Before I get to the topic at hand and tell you what the training mask on the right is all about, let me briefly give you the usual sneak peak on today's Science Round-Up on the Super Human Radio Network. The show airs as usual at 1PM EST (click here to listen to the live stream) and will (probably) cover the following topics:

• Resistance training, weight loss and PPAR
• Concomitant training for endurance athletes
• Tomato juice the ideal peri-workout drink
• Vitamin B12 deficiency and vegetarianism / veganism
• Protect your testes against lead & aluminum

If we got enough time, I will also talk about another thing, namely about this article, here. An article, by the way, which is about training for fat loss, and still not another post about HIIT. It doesn't include an overcomplicated workout plan with a fancy name, or an offer to buy a shiny workout DVD, it's just the summary of a paper that's about to be published in the Chinese Journal of Physiology (Chia. 2013). A study, to be precise, in the course of which the scientists from universities, colleges and research institutes in Singapore, Taipei, Taichung and *surprise* Williamsburg observed not just a statistically significant loss of body fat (-11.4% of total fat), but also a small but non-negligible increase in lean mass (+1.5%) in already highly trained young athletes within no more than three weeks (the data was measured by DXA, so you can be pretty sure that this was accurate).

Now I got your attention, right?

The subjects were a group of 18 male highly trained young swimmers (age: 14.9 ± 0.4 years, BMI: 20.8 ± 0.4 kg/m²) who regularly accomplished a total training distance of 12.3 km/day (think of the Chinese girl at the Olympics  in London, last year ;-). While 8 of them remained within their regular training environment in Singapore, the 10 subjects who had been randomized to the active group were transfered to Kunming. Contrary to Singapore, of which all of you probably know that it's a metropolis at sea level, Kunming is located at an altitude of 2,300m and thus an ideal and in fact highly frequented high altitude training camp.

Figure 1: Changes in BMI, lean and fat mass in the two study groups (Chia. 2013)

You will probably all have heard about the benefits of "living low, training high", which are supported by countless of  scientific studies and the practical experience of thousands of athletes. The lower oxygen content of the air you breath at high altitudes induces a state of intermediate hypoxia, which will enforce a whole host of metabolic adaptations that are necessary to accommodate for the lower oxygen availability and will eventually make the training more productive. The real pay-day, on the other hand, approaches, when you go back to the "low level", where you usually train (and mostly compete) and have "more than enough air" to outperform your competition on the track, in the pool or wherever else you may be running, swimming, cycling etc.

Now, all that is actually not new and wouldn't be SuppVersity news-worthy, if the Chinese and US researchers had not observed a profound and rapid (3 weeks) reduction in body fat levels in the subjects who trained in the high altitude training camp in Kunming (it should be mentioned that in animal studies similar effects have already been observed; Chen. 2010). As the data in figure 1 goes to show you, these changes were not just statistically significant (even the increase in lean mass was), but also much more pronounced than the fat loss effects of the epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), capsaicins, piperine & carnitine stack that was in the news yesterday (cf. "EGCG, Capsaicin, Pipreine & Carnitine: Rather a Health Than a Fat Loss Stack?") -- and that despite the fact that the subjects already had a comparably low body fat level to begin with and did not restrict their total energy intake or make any other changes to their dietary or traning regimen.

"So what's that? Dark magic?"

To further elucidate the underlying mechanisms, by which the altitude training induced hypoxia  (shortage of oxygen supply) triggered this body recomposition effect (in fact, all ten swimmers demonstrated reciprocal decreases in fat mass and increases in lean mass after the 3-week altitude exposure), Chia et al. conducted a second experiment in the course of which the

"effects of hypoxia (at 16% oxygen) on blood distribution to the skeletal muscle were assessed under glucose-ingested condition (i.e. insulin-stimulated condition) after training at sea level. Skeletal muscle blood distributions were measured using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to detect changes in hemoglobin concentrations under hypoxic (16% oxygen) and normoxic conditions for 90 min after oral glucose ingestion." (Chia. 2013)

Aside from the expected change in oxygen saturation and more constant hemoglobin levels during the hypoxia condition, the scientists also observed an increase in lactate production and a decreased glucose clearance from the blood, which was compensated by an increased insulin response.

Figure 2: Low frequency to high frequency ratio as a measure of sympathetic activity (left) and glucose and insulin response (right) in the follow up experiment at sea level during normal (normoxia) and low oxygen (hypoxia) conditions (Chia. 2013)

As far as the fatloss effects are concerned, the changes in autonomic nervous activity during hypoxia recovery (figure 2 right) are yet probably of greater significance. With a steady increase in the low frequency to high frequency ratio.

On the other hand, you could probably also make a point that the decreased glucose uptake in the follow-up study must have caused a shift towards fatty acid oxidation during the workout. Aside from the PGC1a and AMPK activity  Chen et al. obversed in the aforementioned rodent study (Chen. 2010), another, or rather an additional mechanism, which may explain the profound body recompositioning effects, could be mediated by a hypoxia induced increase in PDK-4 and a subsequent decrease in PDC mediated feeding of the TCA cycle with pyruvate (cf. Kelly. 2008). In order to get enough energy, the mitochondria would consequently have to ramp up their fatty acid uptake and beta-oxidation, which would require a greater release of fatty acids from the storage tissue. The latter shouldn't be a problem with the increase in autonomic nervous system activity (by the way something classic stimulant based fat burners do as well). In this context, it would have been interesting to see whether there was a major difference in the respiratory exchange ratio (RER). With the latter being an indicator of the ratio of carbs vs. fats being used as fuel, this could help clarify, whether my hypothesis is correct or not.

Looking for a less martial way to support your dietary efforts by a certain exercise regimen? Check out the HRC protocol for a "Fast Paced High-Resistant Explosive Circuit Training Burns More Fat and Builds More Muscle Than Classical Weight Training" (read more)

Bottom line: It's really intriguing to see new how an old dog, such as training at higher altitudes / in hypoxia does not even need to learn new tricks - often, all we have to do is look closely, to realize that there are beneficial "side effects" we have previously neglected.

That said, I know that your next question is, whether this does have any implications for your training? Well, as of now, probably not. It would however be interesting to see if non-altitude induced hypoxia could have similar beneficial effects. I know that the second experiment in the study at hand would suggest it does, but Ii probably don't have to tell you that it is one thing to have a reduced oxygen supply for a couple of minutes vs. 24/7, as it is the case in a high altitude training camp.


References:

• Chen CY, Tsai YL, Kao CL, Lee SD, Wu MC, Mallikarjuna K, Liao YH, Ivy JL, Kuo
  CH. Effect of mild intermittent hypoxia on glucose tolerance, muscle morphology
  and AMPK-PGC-1alpha signaling. Chin J Physiol. 2010 Feb 28;53(1):62-71. 
• Chia M, Liao CA, Huang CY, Lee WC, Hou CW, Yu SH, Harris MB, Hsu TS, Lee SD, Kuo CH. Reducing Body Fat with Altitude Hypoxia Training in Swimmers: Role of Blood Perfusion to Skeletal Muscles. Chinese Journal of Physiology. 2013 [Epub ahead of print]
• Kelly DP. Hypoxic reprogramming. Nat Genet. 2008 Feb;40(2):132-4.