Today, many people are fascinated with athletic, muscular, lean body muscles and a toned look hence the daily search on how to achieve that. Training and dieting are some of the best ways to get there, but scientists have discovered a way to separate the bits of food that help boost performance synthetically. Both beta-alanine and creatine supplements have gained popularity among athletes as powerful supplements that can take your performance to the next level. They are scientifically-backed, and we will discuss the difference between them and how they work.

What is beta-alanine?

Beta-alanine supplements came into the athletic and bodybuilding scene much later than creatine but have recently gained so much popularity that it is essential to know them. Beta-alanine is a nonessential amino acid found in the body but can also be obtained from chicken, fish, and meat.

Whenever you work out, your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose which is the source of energy. When glucose is converted into energy, lactic acid builds up in the muscles due to the accumulation of hydrogen ions that lower the PH level in the muscle environment. Therefore muscle acidity increases, leading to the loss of the muscles’ ability to contract hence the loss of endurance and power, which causes fatigue.

Beta-alanine in the body combines with another amino acid known as histidine to form carnosine stored in the skeletal muscles. Carnosine is a buffer against lactic acid accumulation during exercise, which causes you to fatigue.

Carnosyn is the patented brand of beta-alanine that is backed up by scientific evidence and FDA-approved. Scientific studies have shown that increasing carnosine levels can prolong the time it takes to fatigue, fuel endurance, enhance peak performance, build muscle strength and optimize recovery. Several studies have also shown that taking beta-alanine supplements increases carnosine levels by 58% in four weeks and 80% in 10weeks resulting in harder workouts and more training.

What is creatine?

Creatine has three amino acids, namely glycine, arginine, and methionine. They are naturally synthesized in the body by the kidney and liver and stored in the muscle tissues. Creatine increases adenosine triphosphate, abbreviated as ATP, which is your body’s natural energy supply.

Therefore, supplementing your body with creatine produces more ATP in your muscles and provides more energy during explosive moments, high-intensity training, and heavy lifting sessions. Creatine supplements are also scientifically backed, and studies have shown that they can improve athletic performance hence more gains in strength, muscle growth, and speed.

Which one should you use and why?

Now that you know the benefits of beta-alanine and creatine and how they work in the body, you may wonder which is best for you and why. Creatine boosts ATP, muscle fuel, and energy hence more athletic power and strength. Beta-alanine boosts carnosine, a buffer against lactic acid build-up, which causes fatigue hence more endurance, power, speed, and higher rep volume.

With less lactic acid, the time to exhaustion prolongs, increasing training volume and performance. So taking both beta-alanine and creatine can give you the best of both worlds, especially if you are a diverse athlete.