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71
SCORE

Beta-Alanine

Endurance · High-intensity
Tier 2 — Promising

What it is

Helps you train harder during high-intensity exercise by buffering lactic acid buildup in muscles, delaying fatigue. Meta-analyses of 40+ trials confirm it meaningfully improves endurance and time-to-exhaustion for efforts lasting 1–10 minutes. Has little effect on raw strength. Causes a harmless skin tingling (paresthesia) in some people; splitting doses reduces this.

Efficacy
3/5
Safety
4/5
Research
4/5
Onset
2/5
Cost
4/5
Drug-int.
5/5

Dose

3.2–6.4 g/day in divided doses; 4–8 wks of daily loading needed to saturate muscle carnosine

Time of day & tips

Split into 2–3 doses with meals to reduce tingling (paresthesia). Taking with a meal minimises the tingling sensation. No timing relative to exercise needed.

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