Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22270875›Full record

SynthesisAmino acids2012

Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis.

R M Hobson, B Saunders, G Ball, R C Harris, C Sale

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Amino acids, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06480760 (Effects of Carnosine In Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease Patients; Randomized Intervention Trial), which is not on this map. Cited by 123 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
123citing papers in PubMed, 12 pooled it
13.0field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06480760 phase1 / phase2recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Effects of Carnosine In Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease Patients; Randomized Intervention Trial (CIPHER)

TypeinterventionalSponsorShahid BabaRan2025 to 2028Enrolled144ConditionsPeripheral Arterial DiseaseArmsCarnosine
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

123 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 285 citations in OpenAlex.

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  12. Acute caffeine supplementation in combat sports: a systematic review.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2018
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63 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

R M HobsonBiomedical, Life and Health Sciences Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK.
B Saunders
G Ball
R C Harris
C Sale
Nottingham Trent University · GBUniversity of Suffolk · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Due to the well-defined role of β-alanine as a substrate of carnosine (a major contributor to H+ buffering during high-intensity exercise), β-alanine is fast becoming a popular ergogenic aid to sports performance. There have been several recent qualitative review articles published on the topic, and here we present a preliminary quantitative review of the literature through a meta-analysis. A comprehensive search of the literature was employed to identify all studies suitable for inclusion in the analysis; strict exclusion criteria were also applied. Fifteen published manuscripts were included in the analysis, which reported the results of 57 measures within 23 exercise tests, using 18 supplementation regimes and a total of 360 participants [174, β-alanine supplementation group (BA) and 186, placebo supplementation group (Pla)]. BA improved (P=0.002) the outcome of exercise measures to a greater extent than Pla [median effect size (IQR): BA 0.374 (0.140-0.747), Pla 0.108 (-0.019 to 0.487)]. Some of that effect might be explained by the improvement (P=0.013) in exercise capacity with BA compared to Pla; no improvement was seen for exercise performance (P=0.204). In line with the purported mechanisms for an ergogenic effect of β-alanine supplementation, exercise lasting 60-240 s was improved (P=0.001) in BA compared to Pla, as was exercise of >240 s (P=0.046). In contrast, there was no benefit of β-alanine on exercise lasting <60 s (P=0.312). The median effect of β-alanine supplementation is a 2.85% (-0.37 to 10.49%) improvement in the outcome of an exercise measure, when a median total of 179 g of β-alanine is supplemented.

Indexed as

Dietary SupplementsExerciseAthletic Performancebeta-AlanineCarnosineExercise TestHumansPerformance-Enhancing SubstancesPhysical Endurancebeta-AlanineCarnosinePerformance-Enhancing Substances

Identifiers

PMID22270875
PMCPMC3374095
OpenAlexW2113762370

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.