Beta-alanine is the rate limiting amino in carnosine synthesis. Apparently many believe that most of carnosine just gets broken down into beta-alanine and histidine in the gut then recombined later to form carnosine elsewhere.
Supplementing with Beta-alanine has some new research in significantly increasing muscle carnosine(1). However, does it have the same AGE inhibition as carnosine? Pubmed studies(2) say it has some anti-glycation effects but not as strong as carnosine. But I wonder if longer term, once carnosine has built up, if it would have a similar effect. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Beta-alanine is much much cheaper than carnosine.
1) "Dietary supplementation with I) 3.2 and II) 6.4 g . d(-1) beta-alanine (as multiple doses of 400 or 800 mg) or III) L-carnosine (isomolar to II) for 4 w resulted in significant increases in muscle carnosine estimated at 42.1, 64.2 and 65.8%."
http://www.ncbi.nlm....t_uids=16554972
2) "beta-Alanine showed anti-crosslinking activity but less than that of carnosine"
http://www.ncbi.nlm....l=pubmed_docsum
Edit: Added some pubmed links
Edited by health_nutty, 11 January 2007 - 06:03 AM.