Carnosine, small but mighty: prospect of use as functional ingredient for functional food formulation
ReviewHumansOther animals
- Design
- Review
- Subjects
- not stated in abstract
- Dose used in the study
- not stated in abstract
- Duration
- not stated in abstract
- What was measured
- Narrative review of carnosine properties, tissue distribution, synthesis and degradation, analytical methods, mechanisms in muscle, metabolism and immunomodulation, and use as a functional food ingredient.
What the authors reported
The authors describe carnosine as a dipeptide made from beta-alanine and L-histidine, found in high concentrations in brain, muscle and gastrointestinal tissue in all vertebrates. They report that it scavenges reactive oxygen species and reactive aldehydes, inhibits glycation and chelates divalent metal ions. They state that it has been reported to protect podocyte and mesangial cells in models relevant to diabetic nephropathy. They report that athletes use carnosine and beta-alanine supplements widely, while cardiovascular and diabetic patients rarely do, and that little is known about enriched foods.
Limits of this study
Narrative review; the authors state that measuring carnosine in human samples is difficult and that clinical use has been largely neglected.
Source
PubMed 34203479 · doi:10.3390/antiox10071037
Entry checked against full text (journal site, MDPI) on 2026-10-11. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.