beta-alanine supplementation to improve exercise capacity and performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Meta-analysisHumansWith beta-alanine (carnosine precursor)
This study tested carnosine together with beta-alanine (carnosine precursor). Its results cannot be assigned to carnosine alone. More combination studies.
- Design
- Meta-analysis
- Subjects
- 40 studies, 65 protocols, 70 exercise measures, 1461 participants
- Dose used in the study
- Chronic beta-alanine ingestion protocols only; doses varied
- Duration
- Varied across included studies
- What was measured
- Exercise capacity and performance outcomes converted to effect sizes. Three-level mixed-effects model. Moderators: exercise duration, type, training status, total dose, co-supplementation.
What the authors reported
Overall effect size was 0.18 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.28). Exercise duration moderated the effect (p = 0.004), with the largest effects in exercise lasting 0.5 to 10 minutes. The effect was larger for capacity tests (0.50, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.75) than for performance tests (0.11, 95% CI -0.20 to 0.42). Training status, intermittent versus continuous exercise and total dose did not moderate the effect. Co-supplementation with sodium bicarbonate gave the largest effect (0.43, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.64).
Limits of this study
Small overall effect. Only double-blind placebo-controlled studies in healthy people. Crossover designs excluded. Heterogeneous protocols. Full text not read.
Source
PubMed 27797728 · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2016-096396
Entry checked against PubMed abstract (E-utilities) on 2026-10-19. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.