A New Buffer Joins the Party

Jack Gray Jack Gray

With so many supplements making bold claims, it can be difficult to know which ones genuinely improve performance. The good news is that the evidence is clear for a small number of ingredients.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) identifies just five performance supplements with strong scientific evidence supporting their use:

  • Caffeine
  • Creatine
  • Sodium bicarbonate
  • Beta-alanine
  • Nitrates

At FLYCARB, we've long championed evidence-based sports nutrition. So today, we're launching FLYCARB Beta-Alanine, meaning we cover three of the five supplements. 

What Is Beta-Alanine?

Beta-alanine is a naturally occurring amino acid that has been shown to increase the concentration of carnosine within the muscle.

Carnosine acts as an intracellular buffer. Like sodium bicarbonate, it helps to regulate the build-up of hydrogen ions (H⁺) that contribute to muscle acidity during hard exercise. However, carnosine is acting within the cell, whereas sodium bicarbonate acts outside the cell,

By improving your muscles' ability to buffer acidity, just like bicarb, beta-alanine allows you to sustain high-intensity efforts for longer before fatigue sets in.

Unlike bicarb, beta-alanine doesn't provide an immediate boost. Instead, it works by gradually increasing muscle carnosine stores over several weeks of consistent supplementation.

How Beta-Alanine Works with Sodium Bicarbonate

One of the reasons we're excited about beta-alanine is how well it complements our sodium bicarbonate prodcuct, BICARRB.

Although both supplements help reduce the effects of exercise-induced acidity, they work in different places:

  • Beta-alanine increases buffering capacity inside the muscle cell by raising muscle carnosine.
  • Sodium bicarbonate increases buffering capacity outside the muscle cell, helping neutralise acidity in the blood.

These complementary mechanisms mean they can be used together as part of a more complete buffering strategy. Combining intracellular and extracellular buffering may provide greater performance benefits than either strategy alone for some athletes.

What Does the Research Say?

Beta-alanine is one of the most extensively researched performance supplements available.

A large analysis of hundreds of studies reported a median performance improvement of approximately 2.85%, with the greatest benefits seen during sustained, high-intensity exercise lasting approximately 1 to 15 minutes.

This makes beta-alanine particularly relevant for events and sports such as:

  • 400 m to 5 km running
  • Rowing
  • Track and road cycling
  • Swimming
  • HYROX
  • CrossFit
  • Repeated sprint sports
  • Team sports requiring repeated high-intensity efforts

There is also emerging evidence that beta-alanine may help maintain reaction speed, decision-making and cognitive performance during intense physical exertion. While this area of research is still developing, it could prove particularly valuable in sports where athletes need to make rapid decisions under fatigue.

How to Take Beta-Alanine

Unlike sodium bicarbonate, beta-alanine is not taken only before competition.

To be effective, muscle carnosine levels need to be gradually increased through consistent daily supplementation.

A practical protocol is:

  • 4 g per day
  • Split into two 2 g servings
  • Take daily with food or drink
  • Continue for at least four weeks

One characteristic of beta-alanine is a harmless tingling sensation (known as paraesthesia) that some people experience after larger doses. Splitting your intake into smaller servings can help minimise this effect.

Research has shown that consistent supplementation can increase muscle carnosine concentrations by up to 64% after four weeks, and by up to 80% after ten weeks.

FLYCARB Beta-Alanine

Our Beta-Alanine contains nothing but pure, unflavoured beta-alanine, making it easy to add to your existing nutrition routine.

Each pouch provides:

  • 300 g of pure beta-alanine
  • 150 × 2 g servings
  • A 75-day supply when taken at 4 g per day
  • No flavours, sweeteners or unnecessary ingredients

Whether you're racing on the track, pushing through a HYROX event, chasing a cycling PB or looking to improve repeated high-intensity efforts in team sports, beta-alanine is one of the few supplements backed by decades of scientific research.

Combined with BICARRB, it offers athletes a comprehensive buffering strategy, supporting both intracellular and extracellular acid buffering to help maximise performance when it matters most.

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