How to Increase Muscle Carnosine Levels for Athletic Performance

Carnosine is a proton buffer that is found in high levels in skeletal muscle tissue. Researchers have found that sprinters tend to have higher levels of muscle carnosine compared to long-distance runners.

Increasing levels of carnosine in muscle may be able to enhance athletic performance by preventing excess acid levels in muscle. This can reduce fatigue and improve total work output when exercising at a high level of intensity.

Carnosine is also used to boost muscle mass by bodybuilders. While it does not directly increase muscle protein synthesis, it can enable athletes to work harder during strength training sessions.

Taking L-carnosine directly is not recommended because this supplement is quickly depleted from the body when ingested orally. Instead, Beta-alanine is an amino acid that has been shown to increase carnosine levels in fast-twitch muscle fibers.

Carnosine

Bodybuilding Supplement

Endurance

Body- building

Anti- Aging

How It Works:

• Supports athletic peformance & muscle vitality
• Anti-oxidant with anti-glycation effects
• May boost immune system & anti-inflammatory

Dosage:

500 mg per day

Safety:

Generally Well Tolerated

Top Carnosine Products* ❯

View User Ratings* ❯

Beta Alanine Increases Muscle Carnosine Levels

Beta alanine (BA) supplementation has been shown to increase intramuscular carnosine levels. This is beneficial for athletes and others who wish to improve physical performance capacities.

Beta alanine is an amino acid that binds with histidine (another amino) to form carnosine (a small dipepetide). Research shows that proper oral administration of BA can increase muscle carnosine levels by as much as 80%.

In multiple human trials, using BA to elevate muscle carnosine levels resulted in decreased fatigue, increased endurance, greater power output, as well as improvements to several other performance markers.

The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database (NMCD) states that beta alanine is used for enhancing athletic performance, increasing capacities for exercise, building up lean muscle mass, and helping elderly persons to function better physically.

Benefits of Muscle Carnosine Concentrations

Carnosine acts in several important ways inside the body. It is concentrated primarily in fast-twitch (type 2) muscle fibers, but is also found in the brain, kidneys, heart and various other organs, tissues and cells.

In the past, research has been limited concerning the effects of carnosine. However, carnosine is now being explored widely.

Preliminary evidence seems to support its use for an array of therapeutic purposes. Currently, carnosine is being studied for its apparent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, antiglycation and cardioprotective properties.

Muscle Carnosine and pH Balance

Muscle carnosine is primarily associated with proton buffering. Especially during periods of strenuous physical exertion, positively charged hydrogen ions (H+) are accumulated in the muscle tissues.

This is often described as the build-up of lactic acid in muscle tissue, which occurs during anaerobic metabolism. Lactic acid is associated with a “burning” feeling in the muscles.

However, it is actually the accumulation of hydrogen protons that causes this sensation. When H+ ions build up excessively, intramuscular pH levels decrease to acidic levels.

Acidosis inside the muscles is known to cause muscular fatigue, and to decrease contractile capacity. When a muscle is unable to contract, its power output diminishes significantly until the excessive H+ is cleared away.

Muscle carnosine is used to “absorb” H+ and help to restore proper pH balance within the muscle cells.

Muscle Carnosine Metabolism

Beta alanine, not histidine, is the rate-limiting precursor of carnosine. Muscle carnosine is synthesized from beta alanine and histidine by a gene-encoding ligase called carnosine synthase.

Carnosinase is a mammalian enzyme that hydrolyzes muscle carnosine; tuning it back into its base constituents (BA and histidine).

As stated, carnosine does more inside the body than proton buffering. It may also improve muscle contractility by strengthening defense to ROS (reactive oxygen species), ROS (reactive nitrogen species) and other radical agents known to increase cellular oxidation.

Increasing muscle carnosine levels may also help to improve excitation-contraction coupling. Excitation-contraction coupling is the process of transforming electrical impulses into mechanical actions.

Carnosine for Physical Performance

Human trials have demonstrated certain benefits associated with increasing muscle carnosine levels via beta alanine administration. According to NMCD, using beta alanine to increase muscle carnosine is possibly effective for improving physical performance.

Research suggests that routine BA administration may help to improve certain markers of physical performance. This seems to be especially true during periods of highly intense exercise.

A specific proprietary brand of beta alanine product called CarnoSyn has been studied. In one 4-6-week study, using between 3.2 and 6.4 grams daily increased total work performed in cycling, ventilatory threshold, time to exhaustion and the time it took for muscles to fatigue.

In other research, CarnoSyn was used in 4.8-gram daily doses over 4 weeks. All subjects were competitive male sprinters. Improvements were noted to muscle torque capacities during sets of knee extensions. However, sprint times were not decreased.

In another 4-week study, young men with at least 3 years of resistance training experience were monitored. Again, 4.8 grams of CarnoSyn was administered daily. Improvements were noted in number of squats achieved in a set, and in mean power output.

Preliminary research suggests that using beta alanine to increase muscle carnosine can help the elderly to function better physically.

In one 90-day study, 800 mg doses of CarnoSyn were administered 3 times every day. All subjects were between 55 and 92 years of age. Decreased neuromuscular fatigue and improved physical performance was noted.

Using Beta Alanine vs. Carnosine

The main dietary sources for carnosine are meats. Beef and lamb are the most concentrated sources; however fowl, fish and pork also provide adequate amounts for most people.

Carnosine levels are lower in women than in men. Vegetarians may develop deficiencies of carnosine, and possibly other related dysfunction.

An average-sized red meat meal provides roughly 250 mg of carnosine. This amount is largely degraded by the actions of carnosinase and the digestive tract. It is difficult to attempt to increase muscle carnosine via the diet alone.

Risk of Side Effects

Using beta alanine to increase muscle carnosine has been shown to work quickly and efficiently. It is also known to be well tolerated in most users.

The only side effect of concern associated with BA supplementation is paresthesia. This is a temporary condition which results from taking too much BA acutely. It may cause the skin to “crawl”, itch or burn. It goes away on its own within an hour or so.

The paresthesia associated with beta alanine supplementation can be avoided by breaking daily doses into several smaller amounts to be taken about 3 hours apart.

Using a BA supplement to elevate muscle carnosine is safe for most people. It is best to talk with your doctor before beginning to use any dietary supplements.

Rate This Article

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5, rated)