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Bal7.5
Beta-Alanine Research
Likely helpsHigh safety
51 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Likely helps
Beta-Alanine appears to help in 10 of 12 studies with measurable effects — the evidence leans clearly favourable.
Most evidence is from high-quality meta-analyses and randomised trials published 2006–2026 with a typical study size of 33 participants.
Based on 51 studies · 17 meta-analyses · 13 RCTs · 7,850 total participants
Confidence
High
What the studies found
10helped1unclear1didn't help· 39 more without graded effect data
3Cycling performanceSystematic ReviewCited 5×n=701 · large study2024
However, no statistically significant effects were identified for the remaining supplements, whether administered individually or in combination.
Valiño-Marques A et al. · Nutrients (2024)
However, no statistically significant effects were identified for the remaining supplements, whether administered individually or in combination.
Thirty-six articles involving 701 participants were included in this review, examining supplementation with caffeine (n = 5), creatine (n = 2), sodium bicarbonate (n = 6), beta-alanine (n = 3), and nitrates (n = 8).
Additionally, supplemental combinations of caffeine and creatine (n = 3), caffeine and sodium bicarbonate (n = 3), caffeine and nitrates (n = 1), creatine and sodium bicarbonate (n = 1), and sodium bicarbonate and beta-alanine (n = 4) were analyzed.
5High-intensity exercise performanceSystematic ReviewCited 4×n=263 · medium study2025
Conclusions: The combination of creatine and β-alanine supplementation may be effective for enhancing high-intensity exercise performance but has no greater effect on maximal strength, body composition, or measures of aerobic capacity compared to creatine or β-alanine alone.
Ashtary-Larky D et al. · Nutrients (2025)
The effects of creatine and β-alanine supplementation on body composition were equivocal, with one study reporting greater lean mass gains and fat mass reductions compared to creatine and β-alanine supplementation individually, while another found no significant improvements.
Additionally, no significant improvements in aerobic endurance capacity (VO2max, lactate threshold, or time to exhaustion) were observed from creatine and β-alanine supplementation co-ingestion.
Co-ingestion of creatine and β-alanine supplementation did not increase measures of maximal strength compared to creatine alone.
Overall, exercise capacity may be improved following supplementation protocols with dosages ranging from 2.4 to 3.2 g/day.
de Camargo JBB et al. · Journal of aging and physical activity (2025)
Overall, exercise capacity may be improved following supplementation protocols with dosages ranging from 2.4 to 3.2 g/day.
Muscle strength and functional performance do not seem to be improved by beta-alanine since these tasks are not significantly impacted by acidosis buildup.
9Athletic performance in soccer playersMeta-AnalysisCited 6×2025
This study suggests that a range of dietary supplements, including caffeine, creatine, creatine + sodium bicarbonate, magnesium creatine chelate, carbohydrate + electrolyte, carbohydrate + protein, arginine, beta-alanine, bovine colostrum, Kaempferia parviflora, melatonin, and sodium pyruvate, can improve athletic performance in soccer players.
Luo H et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2025)
Kaempferia parviflora (SMD: 0.46, small) was associated with a significant effect on enhancing muscular strength.
Beta-alanine (SMD: 0.83, moderate), melatonin (SMD: 0.75, moderate), caffeine (SMD: 0.37, small), and creatine (SMD: 0.33, small) were associated with a significant effect on enhancing jump height.
Magnesium creatine chelate (SMD: -3.0, very large), melatonin (SMD: -1.9, large), creatine + sodium bicarbonate (SMD: -1.4, large), and arginine (SMD: -1.2, moderate) were associated with a significant effect on decreasing sprint time.
10Swimming performanceMeta-AnalysisCited 2×n=23 · very small study2025
Creatine supplementation demonstrated ergogenic benefits for competitive swimmers, although the evidence supporting the use of this supplement is still limited.
Domínguez R et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2025)
Noticeable benefit
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Likely real
This revision included 23 studies, 16 of them (69.6%) qualified as excellent and 7 (30.4%) as good at the methodological level based on the punctuation in the PEDro scale.
The systematic review included 422 swimmers (61.8% male, 38.2% female), with distances assessed ranging from 50 m to 800 m, including studies employing interval procedures.
Creatine showed a significant effect (ES = -0.46; 95% CIs = -0.75 to -0.17, p = 0.002; I2 = 11%) on swimming performance, while the rest of the analyzed supplements did not show significant effects (all p > 0.05).
11Systematic ReviewCited 11×n=221 · medium study2023
According to the results of the studies reviewed, we would recommend β-A and SB co-supplementation during high intensity exercises lasting between 30 s and 10 min.
Gilsanz L et al. · Critical reviews in food science and nutrition (2023)
Nine studies including a total of 221 athletes were identified for review.
Athletes were supplemented with β-A and SB while they performed exercise tests to assess physical performance and buffer capacity.
Five of the nine studies indicated there was some additional improvement in buffering capacity and performance with co-supplementation, while one study concluded that the effect was comparable to the added effects of the individual supplements.
This meta-analysis study suggests that beta-alanine supplementation is unlikely to improve body composition indices regardless of supplementation dosage and its combination with exercise training.
Ashtary-Larky D et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2022)
This meta-analysis study suggests that beta-alanine supplementation is unlikely to improve body composition indices regardless of supplementation dosage and its combination with exercise training.
No studies have examined the effect of beta-alanine combined with both diet and exercise on body composition changes as the primary variable.
Finally, there was a non-significant (p > 0.05) improvement in the anthropometric parameters of lean mass and fat mass. β-alanine supplementation appears to be safe and could be a suitable nutritional ergogenic aid for combat athletes.
Fernández-Lázaro D et al. · Nutrients (2023)
Overall, performance parameters related to strength, power, total exercise work capacity, and combat-specific parameters were significantly improved (p < 0.05).
HCD, supplementation improved scores on the Delayed recall examination, a neuropsychological test affected early in Alzheimer's disease.
Bell SM et al. · Nutrition reviews (2024)
HCD, supplementation improved scores on the Delayed recall examination, a neuropsychological test affected early in Alzheimer's disease.
Further studies are needed in people with early cognitive impairment with longer follow-up duration and standardization of carnosine doses to delineate the true effect.
17Performance enhancement in combat sportsMeta-AnalysisCited 14×2022
Caffeine is the only NEA that has shown strong evidence for performance enhancement in combat sports.
Vicente-Salar N et al. · Nutrients (2022)
In this regard, abilities including the number of attacks, reaction time, handgrip strength, power and TTE, among others, were improved.
Buffering supplements such as sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate and beta-alanine may have a promising role in high and intermittent exertion during combat, but more studies are needed in grappling combat sports to confirm their efficacy during sustained isometric exertion.
Other NEAs, including creatine, beetroot juice or glycerol, need further investigation to strengthen the evidence for performance enhancement in combat sports.
18Physical performance in female athletesMeta-AnalysisCited 19×2022
More studies are needed in female athletes that measure the effects of different EAs on sports performance, such as beetroot juice, beta-alanine or sodium phosphate, as the studies to date are scarce and there are many types of EA that need to be further considered in this population, such as creatine and taurine.
López-Torres O et al. · Nutrients (2022)
A random-effects model and the standardized mean differences (SMD) ± 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported.
Aerobic tests could be improved with the use of taurine, caffeine, and beta-alanine.
No conclusive effects of beetroot juice, polyphenols, or creatine in improving aerobic performance were shown.
Inferences were made on posterior samples generated by Hamiltonian Markov Chain Monte Carlo using 90% credible intervals (90% CrI) and calculated probabilities.
Matthews JJ et al. · Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) (2021)
Inferences were made on posterior samples generated by Hamiltonian Markov Chain Monte Carlo using 90% credible intervals (90% CrI) and calculated probabilities.
GRADE assessment showed our certainty in the effect estimate of each outcome to be moderate (human outcomes) or very low (rodent outcomes).
Supplementation with carnosine or β-alanine may reduce fasting glucose, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR in humans and rodents, and fasting insulin in humans; both compounds show potential as therapeutics to improve glycemic control and insulin resistance.
This meta-analysis found that beta-alanine is ergogenic for Yo-Yo test performance in athletes when the supplementation protocol lasts between 6 and 12 weeks and when using the level 2 variants of the Yo-Yo test.
Grgic J · Clinical nutrition ESPEN (2021)
Huge benefit
← WorseNo effectBetter →
When considering all available studies, there was no significant difference between the placebo/control and beta-alanine groups (SMD: 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.30, 1.67).
When considering only the studies that used supplementation protocols lasting between 6 and 12 weeks, there was a significant ergogenic effect of beta-alanine (SMD: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.01, 2.05).
When considering only the studies that used the level 2 variants of the Yo-Yo test, there was a significant ergogenic effect of beta-alanine (SMD: 1.41; 95% CI: 0.35, 2.48).