Optimizing Beta Alanine: Is it Worth It? by Jerry Brainum 5/23

 

The food supplement industry is a billion-dollar business, and in an effort to increase profits, companies that sell various food supplements are always looking for the latest and greatest new supplement or supplement ingredient. Indeed, the growth of the sports supplement industry began about 60 years ago when companies that sold exercise equipment realized the possibility of repeat sales with food supplements. It started with protein supplements and later included supplements aimed at a multitude of purposes, such as improved health, anti-aging, and most lucrative of all, fat loss. However, in their zeal to bring new types of supplements onto the commercial market, companies often produced supplements that initially showed a lot of promise, but never paned out to expectations.  This is most evident with sports and "anabolic" supplements touted to boost muscle size and strength.

Much of the advertising for new supplements is more hyperbole than fact. One example of this is claiming that various "testosterone boosting" supplements can provide the same level of muscle gains as anabolic steroid drugs. The truth is if they did, they would be reclassified as drugs! Other supplements have some scientific basis behind them, but the science behind them is often misleading. For instance, nitric oxide-boosting supplements are touted to increase the release of nitric oxide in blood vessels. That would have the effect of rapidly dilating the blood vessels, which would improve blood flow, as well as lower blood pressure. The increased blood flow, in turn, would deliver a greater amount of oxygen and nutrients to working muscles, which might prove anabolic. The problem with most NO boosters is that they are underdosed. The primary ingredient in most of the NO boosters is the amino acid arginine. Arginine is the immediate nutrient precursor for the synthesis of NO in blood vessels. But about 60% of oral arginine is rapidly degraded in the gut by an enzyme called arginase. Not only that, but you need about 18 grams of arginine to effectively boost NO synthesis, and the NO supplements contain an average of only 4 grams of arginine. They do that for a reason. Larger oral doses of arginine lead to rapid nausea and vomiting. That wouldn't be popular with users of the supplements. 

The sports supplements most touted to promote muscular size and strength gains are often the most problematic, too. Most of them are expensive but rarely do they deliver the promised muscle and strength gains that are advertised for them. Yet, online anecdotal testimonials often claim spectacular progress after using the supplements. Are such testimonials merely lies? In many cases, the testimonials you see online at sites such as Amazon.com are placed by shills of the companies that sell the supplements. If you read a number of highly positive posts about a particular food supplement, you will be more tempted to try it. In some instances, food supplements may actually produce muscle or strength gains, but it . . .