Wed Oct 09, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- A study in Amino Acids suggests that taking beta alanine and creatine monohydrate supplements can help enhance  endurance performance.

R. F. Zoeller and colleagues conducted the study and found supplementation of beta alanine and creatine monohydrate for 28 days significantly improve endurance performance parameters including aerobic power, ventilatory and lactate thresholds and time to exhaustion.

In the double blind, placebo controlled trial, 55 men were randomly assigned to one of four supplements,  placebo, creatine monohydrate, beta-alanine, or beta-alanine plus creatine monohydrate for 28 days.  Before and after the supplementation, participants were evaluated for a range of physical parameters associated with their exercise capacity.

Within groups, a significant extension of time to exhaustion was found in those who took beta-alanine and creatine monohydrate supplements, which suggests that creatine monohydrate and beta-alanine can enhance the endurance performance.

A new review released in International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism confirms that beta alanine supplementation can help increase athletic performance.

J. J. Quesnele from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto, ON, Canada and colleagues reviewed previous high quality studies on the effects of beta alanine on exercise and endurance performance and found that it is evident that taking beta-alanine supplements can help people who need to improve their endurance performance.

High quality studies show that beta alanine may boost power output, working capacity, reduce the feeling of fatigue and exhaustion induced by exercise and or work.  Supplementation also has a beneficial effect on body composition and carnosine content.

Another new study in Antonio and Ciccone Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition finds that long term supplementation of creatine monohydrate increases total intramuscular creatine, phosphocreatine, lean body mass, skeletal muscle mass, and muscle fiber size.. In a word, creatine monohydrate can help muscular performance and strength.

The new study led by Jose Antonio and Victoria Ciccone from Nova Southeastern University in Davie, FL, USA found that creatine monohydrate at a dose of 5 grams per workout can be better consumed immediately after workout.  Or taking the supplement pre-workout does not provide as much benefits as taking it post-workout.

In summary, both beta-alanine and creatine monohydrate can help bodybuilders and people who need physical strength.

Beta-alanine dosage: 3 to 4 grams per day has been used in studies.

Beta-alanine side effects: rarely reported

Beta-alanine benefits: bodybuilding and enhancing endurance performance

Creatine monohydrate dosage: up to 20 grams per day used in studies

Creatine monohydrate side effects: rarely reported

Creatine monohydrate benefits: "Creatine supplementation has been, and continues to be, investigated as a possible therapeutic approach for the treatment of muscular, neuromuscular, neurological and neurodegenerative diseases (arthritis, congestive heart failure, Parkinson's disease, disuse atrophy, gyrate atrophy, McArdle's disease, Huntington's disease, miscellaneous neuromuscular diseases, mitochondrial diseases, muscular dystrophy, and neuroprotection), and depression," according to wikipedia. Creatine monohydrate can also help muscular disorders and cognitive function. (JD)