Dr. Dwayne Jackson

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Boost workout performance with l-alanyl-l-glutamine

 

For decades, supplement scientists have reported many performance-enhancing benefits to taking amino acids before, during, and after training. Most recently, scientists from University of Central Florida illustrated that ingesting a sport drink mixed with a di-peptide blend of alanine and glutamine (l-alanyl-l-glutamine) extends high intensity exercise performance.

In this new study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, twelve endurance trained men completed exhaustive running exercise under 4 conditions (completed on separate days): no hydration (NH), sport drink only (SD), and low dose (LD; 300 mg/500 ml) and high dose (HD;1 g/500 ml) of l-alanyl-l-glutamine added to the sports drink. For each condition, subjects ran at 70% VO2max for 1 hour, followed by a run to exhaustion at 90% VO2max. For conditions involving hydration, during the runs, subjects were instructed to drink 250ml of sport drink (with or without l-alanyl-l-glutamine) every 15 minutes until the drink was finished.

The researchers reported a remarkable increase in run time to exhaustion only in the l-alanyl-l-glutamine (LD and HD) conditions versus NH. Although the exact mechanism for this increase in exercise performance was not tested in this study, l-alanyl-l-glutamine is reported to enhance electrolyte and water absorption in the intestines, resulting in greater hydration.

 

ACTION POINT: For those of you who exercise or play sports for extended periods (and sweat a lot), you can benefit by adding 300-1000 g of l-analyl-l-glutamine (known as, Sustamine™) to an electrolyte based sports drink like Gatorade. Sip on this concoction throughout your exercise session or game.

 

Reference:

McCormack WP, Hoffman JR, Pruna GJ, Jajtner AR, Townsend JR, Stout JR, Fragala MS, Fukuda DH. Effects of l-Alanyl-l-Glutamine Ingestion on One-Hour Run Performance. J Am Coll Nutr. 2015 Jun 22:1-9. [Epub ahead of print]

 


Beta-Alanine has been inducted into the “supplement hall of fame”

 

We all have our favorite supplements, which tend to be the ones that work best for us. However, generally speaking, the ultimate test for supplement efficacy is years of substantiated published and undisputed evidence proving its benefits. Beta-alanine is one such supplement!

Recently, the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutriton published a sports nutrition position stand about beta-alanine. In this article, 14 of the top supplement scientists, from research institutes across the globe, chimed in on the research proven effectiveness of beta-alanine. These scientists collectively reported the following ACTION POINTS regarding beta-alanine as a world-class sports supplement:

  • Beta-alanine supplementation is safe
  • Four weeks of beta-alanine supplementation (4-6 g/day) significantly boosts muscle carnosine concentrations, which serve to buffer increases in acidity in exercising muscle.
  • The only substantiated side effect of high dose beta-alanine supplementation is a tingling sensation in the skin (called paraesthesia). Paraesthesia can be avoided by dividing your daily dose into 3 or 4 smaller doses (no more than 1.6 g each) and take them throughout the day.
  • Daily beta-alanine supplementation (4-6 g/day) for at least 2 to 4 weeks improves exercise performance, especially when exertion lasts between 1 and 4 minutes.
  • Beta-alanine becomes more effective when stacked with other supplements (like creatine). This synergy is not immediately apparent and generally becomes noticeable after 4 weeks of consistent supplementation.

Reference:

Trexler ET, Smith-Ryan AE, Stout JR, Hoffman JR, Wilborn CD, Sale C, Kreider RB, Jäger R, Earnest CP, Bannock L, Campbell B, Kalman D, Ziegenfuss TN, Antonio J. International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015 Jul 15;12:30. doi: 10.1186/s12970-015-0090-y. eCollection 2015.

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