Vol. 22 No. 2 (2023)
Literature Review

Beta-alanine supplementation and its improvement in swimming

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  • Pedro Salvadori,
  • Matheus Caputo,
  • Luciana Pietro
Pedro Salvadori
Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Paulista Unip. Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Matheus Caputo
Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Paulista Unip. Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Luciana Pietro
Departamento de Biomedicina, Universidade Paulista. Unip. Campinas, SP, Brazil.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12957/%20bjhbs.2023.80048

Published 2023-12-20

Keywords

  • Beta-alanine,
  • Supplement,
  • Carnosine,
  • Swimming,
  • Water polo

How to Cite

1.
Pedro Salvadori, Matheus Caputo, Luciana Pietro. Beta-alanine supplementation and its improvement in swimming. BJHBS [Internet]. 2023 Dec. 20 [cited 2024 May 19];22(2). Available from: https://bjhbs.hupe.uerj.br/bjhbs/article/view/155

Copyright (c) 2023 Brazilian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid that is naturally produced by the human body and used by many athletes and practitioners of physical activity to reduce muscle fatigue and to increase performance in high performance exercises. As a precursor of intramuscular carnosine, it has been shown to reduce the hydrogen ions that cause muscle fatigue during exercise in sports such as swimming and water polo. Objective: To evaluate various beta-alanine supplementation protocols in swimmers and water polo players and their effects on performance. Materials and methods: This study is a systematic review of various beta-alanine supplementation protocols used in exercises involving water polo and high-performance swimming, from searches on the Pubmed, SCIELO and RBNE platforms. Articles in English and Portuguese were included, which were evaluated on the basis of methods and parameters specific to swimming and water polo. Results: The review found that beta-alanine supplementation protocols varied according to the studies and their objectives. However, beta-alanine supplementation was shown to be effective in improving times, reducing blood lactate and increasing strength. Conclusion: Supplementation with beta-alanine generates a possible beneficial effect on swimmers and water polo players by fostering improvements in time, reduction of blood lactate and strength, all of which can positively influence the results of competitions and championships. The best protocols are those that administered a dose greater than or equal to 4.8g per day for, at least, four weeks. 

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