title: Effect of β-alanine plus sodium bicarbonate on high-intensity cycling capacity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined the effect of β-alanine supplementation plus sodium bicarbonate on high-intensity cycling capacity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty males (age = 25 ± 5 yr, height = 1.79 ± 0.06 m, body mass = 80.0 ± 10.3 kg) were assigned to either a placebo (P) or a β-alanine (BA; 6.4 g·d(-1) for 4 wk) group based on power max, completing four cycling capacity tests at 110% of power max (CCT110%) to determine time to exhaustion (TTE) and total work done. A CCT(110%) was performed twice (habituation and baseline) before supplementation (with maltodextrin [MD]) and twice after supplementation (with MD and with sodium bicarbonate [SB]), using a crossover design with 2 d of rest between trials, creating four study conditions (PMD, PSB, BAMD, and BASB). Blood pH, Lactate, bicarbonate and base excess were determined at baseline, before exercise, immediately after exercise, and 5 min after exercise. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TTE was increased in all conditions after supplementation (+1.6% PMD, +6.5% PSB, +12.1% BAMD, and +16.2% BASB). Both BAMD and BASB resulted in significantly improved TTE compared with that before supplementation (P ≤ 0.01). Although further increases in TTE (4.1%) were shown in BASB compared with BAMD, these differences were not significant (P = 0.74). Differences in total work done were similar to those of TTE. Blood bicarbonate concentrations were significantly (P ≤ 0.001) elevated before exercise in PSB and BASB but not in PMD or BAMD. Blood lactate concentrations were significantly elevated after exercise, remaining elevated after 5 min of recovery (P ≤ 0.001) and were highest in PSB and BASB.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results show that BA improved high-intensity cycling capacity. However, despite a 6-s (∼4%) increase in TTE with the addition of SB, this did not reach statistical significance, but magnitude-based inferences suggested a ∼70% probability of a meaningful positive difference.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical, Life and Health Sciences Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK. craig.sale@ntu.ac.uk
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sale
authors.forename: Bryan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Wise
authors.forename: Roger C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Caroline D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Sunderland
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001642:Bicycling / Q000523:psychology*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration / Q000187:drug effects; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000187:drug effects*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017693:Sodium Bicarbonate / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult; D015091:beta-Alanine / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D011134:Polysaccharides; D015091:beta-Alanine; D019344:Lactic Acid; C008315:maltodextrin; D017693:Sodium Bicarbonate