Why I’m not writing about beta-alanine lately

I’ve had a more than a few requests to write more reviews on beta-alanine, since it seems to be all the rage. It is so much the rage lately, that I get more hits on my reviews of the three beta-alanine studies than anything else, by a very large margin. The reviews have been linked by so many people that this blog is on the third page of a Google search for the term “beta alanine” (and this search includes hits from ALL of the supplement sites that SELL beta-alanine), and the FIRST hit when you search Google for “beta alanine studies”. The. First. Hit. Holy. Crap.

However, I haven’t been writing on beta-alanine for a few reasons:

1) This isn’t the beta-alanine blog. There are other studies to review, and apart from reviewing for content, I like to review studies that also highlight particular common methodological mistakes, or, ones that highlight particular methodological strengths to build on the fact that good research in fitness IS possible (if we should just line up all the strengths seen in multiple studies into a single study).

2) I don’t want to seem like I’m attacking the work of a single research group. Most of the beta-alanine studies come out of a small number of research centres. The authors of these studies often overlap with one another, or come up repetitively. What I did with the three reviews was pick out the ones that I thought would have the most relevance with respect to generalizability to the largest number of people, or would be considered foundational studies. To continue to review each and every beta-alanine study (which I have been challenged to do) makes it seem like I’m malicious towards people who are probably very nice and respectable.

3) There isn’t anything in the other studies that would actually change the current level of evidence for beta-alanine supplementation from “There is inadequate evidence to support using beta-alanine,” to “Beta-alanine is worth using.” It seems repetitive and, frankly, a bit boring to review yet another beta-alanine study that does not add substantially to the existing body of knowledge regarding its efficacy or effectiveness. If a landmark study of higher AND sufficient quality is published, you can be sure I will definitely review it here. This has not yet happened.

Am I aware that there are new studies? Yes. However, these studies have not yet been indexed. Many of them have not yet been fully published in peer-reviewed journals. With the exception of the Trapp thesis, I generally only reviewed peer-reviewed articles. I think we all know what my feeling is on reviewing abstracts.

Am I aware that beta-alanine has been proven to increase muscle carnosine levels? Yes. However, the fact remains that DESPITE this “significant” increase in muscle carnosine levels, beta-alanine remains associated with non-meaningul (as statistically significant as they might be) changes in performance–except possibly at the highest elite level (which has not yet been adequately studied).

I understand that my blog makes it appear like I have a vendetta against beta-alanine, and there really isn’t anything I can write here that would change the opinion of people who have that opinion of me. However, the standards I apply here to my reviews are the same standards that I would apply in a review of a submitted manuscript to the journals for which I am invited to be a peer-reviewer. They are consistent with international standards (such as a CONSORT statement on reporting standards for randomized clinical trials–which is openly linked in my link list.) I don’t make the standards up, nor do I make the evidence up. The studies I review are available publicly in many university libraries, and are indexed as part of the Index Medicus (which anyone can access through PubMed.) I have no financial interest in seeing beta-alanine succeed or fail. I have no relationships with any supplement companies other than the fact that I buy supplements for myself. My only interest, with respect to this blog is to simply present the evidence in a critical and as unbiased a way as possible, so that others can make informed decisions about health decisions as they pertain to fitness.

I appreciate all of the feedback and notes that I have received throughout this blog’s existence. Most of it has been very positive. And I appreciate all of the support that I have received so far. This blog is linked to many sites and I am flattered that people think it’s worth reading to the point that they would recommend it to their friends and blog readers. I hope that someday, it will be more than “the beta-alanine blog”, but I’ll take whatever successes I can glean.

Thanks again for reading.