Effect of beta-alanine on the athletic performance and blood amino acid metabolism of speed-racing Yili horses
Randomised controlled trialHorsesWith beta-alanine (carnosine precursor)
This study tested carnosine together with beta-alanine (carnosine precursor). Its results cannot be assigned to carnosine alone. More combination studies.
- Design
- Randomised controlled trial
- Subjects
- 12 Yili stallions, about 3 years old, in two groups of 6
- Dose used in the study
- beta-alanine 300 mg/kg body weight per day (test) versus alpha-alanine 300 mg/kg body weight per day (control)
- Duration
- 30 days
- What was measured
- 1000 m race time at days 15 and 30; plasma free amino acids including beta-alanine, histidine and carnosine; blood gases, biochemistry and antioxidant markers (SOD, GSH-Px, total antioxidant capacity, MDA).
What the authors reported
The authors report that the beta-alanine group ran 12.01% faster than controls on day 30, with no significant difference at day 15. Plasma beta-alanine was higher in the test group, while histidine and carnosine differed only slightly between groups. Antioxidant markers were higher and MDA lower in the test group immediately after racing, and blood gases returned to baseline faster. Carnosine was measured, not given.
Limits of this study
Six horses per group; the control received alpha-alanine rather than an inert placebo; plasma carnosine changed little, so the mechanism is not shown to run through carnosine; injury was not measured directly.
Source
doi:10.3389/fvets.2024.1339940
Entry checked against full text (journal site, Frontiers) on 2026-10-11. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.