Effects of β-Alanine Supplementation and Intramuscular Carnosine Content on Exercise Performance and Health

β-Alanine is a nonproteogenic amino acid that combines with histidine to form a dipeptide molecule known as carnosine. Carnosine is an H+ buffer that is especially useful in preventing the decline in muscle pH during high-intensity exercise. β-Alanine has been shown to be the rate-limiting precursor of carnosine formation, and therefore supplementation with β-alanine increases muscle carnosine. β-Alanine supplementation has ergogenic effects on exercise performance, specifically in high-intensity events for 1–4 min. However, carnosine has been suggested to have various other roles in the body, including acting as an antioxidant, antiglycating agent, and ion chelator, which may have significant effects on aging and other health benefits. Besides β-alanine supplementation, carnosine content is dependent on various other factors, such as diet, gender, and training status. This chapter aims to review the ergogenic effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance and highlight the beneficial effects of carnosine content on health.