Abstract
Objective
Overweight and obesity are characterized by excess adiposity and systemic, chronic, low-grade inflammation, which is associated with several metabolic disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and tolerability of β-alanine supplementation and to explore the effects on cardiometabolic health and cardiovascular, hepatic, and renal function in adults with overweight and obesity.
Methods
A total of 27 adults (44% female; mean [SD], age: 58 [10] years, BMI: 31.1 [2.9] kg/m2, hemoglobin A1c: 39.8 [4.3] mmol/mol) received β-alanine (4.8 g/day) or a matched placebo for 3 months. Feasibility and tolerability outcomes included adherence, side effects, recruitment, attrition, and blinding, and exploratory outcomes included biochemical markers, blood pressures, and transthoracic echocardiography parameters. Data were analyzed using a Bayesian approach presented with 95% credible intervals (CrI).
Results
β-alanine was well tolerated and adhered to (adherence: placebo, 0.91 [95% CrI: 0.84–0.95]; β-alanine, 0.92 [95% CrI: 0.85–0.95]), and side effects remained at or below baseline throughout. The probability that β-alanine supplementation affected cardiometabolic, cardiovascular, or clinical biochemical outcomes was low.
Conclusions
Sustained-release β-alanine supplementation is well tolerated and adhered to in adults with overweight and obesity. Future research should consider more advanced metabolic conditions, which may benefit from longer duration supplementation.
Overweight and obesity are characterized by excess adiposity and systemic, chronic, low-grade inflammation, which is associated with several metabolic disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and tolerability of β-alanine supplementation and to explore the effects on cardiometabolic health and cardiovascular, hepatic, and renal function in adults with overweight and obesity.
Methods
A total of 27 adults (44% female; mean [SD], age: 58 [10] years, BMI: 31.1 [2.9] kg/m2, hemoglobin A1c: 39.8 [4.3] mmol/mol) received β-alanine (4.8 g/day) or a matched placebo for 3 months. Feasibility and tolerability outcomes included adherence, side effects, recruitment, attrition, and blinding, and exploratory outcomes included biochemical markers, blood pressures, and transthoracic echocardiography parameters. Data were analyzed using a Bayesian approach presented with 95% credible intervals (CrI).
Results
β-alanine was well tolerated and adhered to (adherence: placebo, 0.91 [95% CrI: 0.84–0.95]; β-alanine, 0.92 [95% CrI: 0.85–0.95]), and side effects remained at or below baseline throughout. The probability that β-alanine supplementation affected cardiometabolic, cardiovascular, or clinical biochemical outcomes was low.
Conclusions
Sustained-release β-alanine supplementation is well tolerated and adhered to in adults with overweight and obesity. Future research should consider more advanced metabolic conditions, which may benefit from longer duration supplementation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 278-288 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Obesity |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Early online date | 12 Jan 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2025 |
Bibliographical note
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,provided the original work is properly cited.© 2025 The Author(s). Obesity published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Obesity Society. CC BYFunding
Joseph J. Matthews was funded by Birmingham City University. Jade V. Creighton was on a match\u2010funded studentship between Nottingham Trent University and Natural Alternatives International (NAI), a company formulating and manufacturing customized nutritional supplements. Craig L. Doig received Quality Research funding for this study from Nottingham Trent University.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Birmingham City University |
