Effect of β-alanine on the athletic performance of horses

I almost passed this over, but then I decided to do a little research on B-alanine and found other studies showing positive performance results following its supplementation in humans. Taken from Wiki: Ingestion of β-alanine can cause paraesthesia, reported as a tingling sensation, in a dose-dependent fashion.[16] Aside from this, no important adverse effect of β-alanine has been reported, however, there is also no information on the effects of its long-term usage or its safety in combination with other supplements, and caution on its use has been advised.[13][14] Furthermore, many studies have failed to test for the purity of the supplements used and check for the presence of banned substances.[15]
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Effect of β-alanine on the athletic performance and blood amino acid metabolism of speed-racing Yili horses
Front Vet Sci. 2024 Feb 28:11:1339940. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1339940. eCollection 2024.
Authors
Xiaobin Li 1 2 , Jun Ma 3 , Haiying Li 1 2 , Hai Li 1 2 , Yuhui Ma 1 2 , Haifeng Deng 1 2 , Kailun Yang 1 2
Affiliations

1 Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Herbivore Nutrition for Meat and Milk Production, College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, China.
2 Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Horse Breeding and Exercise Physiology, College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, China.
3 General Animal Husbandry Station of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Yining, China.

PMID: 38482164
PMCID: PMC10932971
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1339940

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of supplemental β-alanine feeding on the athletic performance of Yili horses involved in speed racing, focusing on alterations in plasma free amino acid patterns pre and post exercise. Additionally, the research aimed to evaluate the effects of carnosine on the plasma acid-base buffering capacity and antioxidant levels in these horses. Twelve Yili horse stallions, averaging 3 years in age and 346.50 ± 21.39 kg in weight, were chosen and randomly divided into two groups: a control group and a test group, each comprising six horses. The control group received a supplementation of 300 mg/kg BW/day of α-alanine, while the test group received 300 mg/kg BW/day of β-alanine. This supplementation regimen was maintained for a 30-day supplementation trial period, under identical feeding and management conditions. Throughout the trial, the horses participated in the 1,000 Speed Race, and three distinct blood samples were gathered for assessing plasma free amino acids, blood gases, biochemical parameters, and antioxidant parameters. The outcomes indicated a considerable enhancement in the 1,000 m exercise performance of the speed racing Yili horses in the test group compared to the control group, showcasing a noteworthy improvement of 12.01%, with the test group completing the race 13.29 s faster. Notably, the α-alanine content in the plasma of the control group Yili horses remained higher than that of the test group, demonstrating a consistent increasing trend. By contrast, the plasma β-alanine content was notably higher in the test group than in the control group. Over the course of the supplementation period, plasma β-alanine exhibited an escalating and then stabilizing trend in the test group, whereas in the control group, although β-alanine content also increased, the trend was less pronounced. The plasma levels of histidine and carnosine showed minimal variance between the two groups. Overall, the test group of Yili horses exhibited slightly higher plasma levels of histidine and carnosine compared to the control group. The addition of β-alanine to their diet for a duration of 30 days notably affected the plasma levels of amino acids both pre- and post-exercise in speed-racing Yili horses. Furthermore, β-alanine demonstrated an inhibitory effect on the catabolism of these horses’ bodies during high-intensity exercise. Ten marker amino acids, including valine, leucine, β-alanine, isoleucine, carnosine, 3-methyl-histidine, lysine, ethanolamine, argnine, and taurine, displayed statistically significant changes. β-alanine notably increased the blood glucose levels of Yili horses and played a role in expediting the restoration of blood gas levels post-exercise. Moreover, in the test group of Yili horses, the levels of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and total antioxidant capacity significantly increased both before and after the race, while the content of malondialdehyde, an oxidation product, exhibited an extremely significant decrease immediately after the race. These outcomes suggest that the addition of β-alanine significantly augmented antioxidant levels during high-intensity exercise in Yili horses. Consequently, it reduced post-exercise injuries and accelerated the recovery process after exercise.

Keywords: Yili horse; athletic performance; carnosine; free amino acids; β-alanine.

Copyright © 2024 Li, Ma, Li, Li, Ma, Deng and Yang.