Beta-alanine is one of the most preferred supplements among fitness enthusiasts and athletes.
It is said to enhance performance and impact your overall health.
In this post, we discuss what you need to know about beta-alanine.
What is beta-alanine
Like other amino acids, beta-alanine is one of the building blocks of life.
It is also a crucial building block of carnosine. And this provides dominant antioxidant properties that offer so many health benefits.
When you increase your carnosine levels in your body, you also improve your brain health, muscle function, bone health, heart health, and systemic function.
Fitness enthusiasts and athletes can also report notable benefits. That is, on gains, focus, recovery, and performance.
When you ingest beta-alanine, it combines with histidine to form carnosine. This acts as a buffer against a drop in PH and acidity levels in your muscles during physical activity.
If you’re looking to gain a competitive edge by reducing your fatigue, beta-alanine could be just what you need.
But, how do you increase your beta-alanine intake?
Beta-alanine rich foods to consider
Beta-alanine gets naturally produced in the liver. But you can consume foods with beta-alanine to improve your body performance.
These includes:
- Beef
Beef is loaded with carnosine. Depending on the cut, it contains 1.6-2.8 grams on average per 4oz. Adding lean beef cuts will load you with more carnosine and beta-alanine in your diet.
- Chicken
Chicken meat has high beta-alanine and carnosine content. A few chicken breasts throughout the day will make a significant difference in your body.
- Fish
Food and seafood, in general, are a reliable way of getting carnosine. Its serving will help you get more carnosine in your diet, thereby improving your body’s overall performance.
- Turkey
Like chicken, turkey is a beta-alanine and carnosine-rich food. Adding some lean turkey to your diet is a convenient and reliable way to boost beta-alanine levels in your diet.
Other beta alanine-rich foods sources include pork, lamb, tuna, and rainbow trout.
Since beta-alanine is found in animal products, those on a plant-based diet get deprived of carnosine.
That means that they need to supplement with beta-alanine. And this ensures enough carnosine levels.
Even so, you cannot get enough beta-alanine from your diet to improve your athletic performance. And that is where beta-alanine supplements come in. Increasing its intake will significantly boost your muscle performance and concentration.
Supplementing with the correct dosages of beta-alanine comes with many benefits. Not only is it safe, but it helps improve your athletic performance and overall health.
Other benefits of supplementation with beta-alanine includes:
- Faster gains
- Increase in muscle carnosine
- Enhance muscle endurance
- Reduce oxidative stress
- Raise intramuscular concentration of carnosine
- Improve training volume
- Increase lean muscles
Take away
As seen above, adding beta-alanine-rich foods to your diet is a reliable way to increase its production. However, to derive the most benefits, diet is not enough.
For this reason, you need to supplement with beta-alanine.
That will help improve exercise performance, increase strength gains and delay muscle fatigue.
