Carnosine first appeared in the mainstream health community around a decade ago in the form of supplements, eyedrops, and skin creams; mostly from companies who touted Carnosine as an elixir of youth. Fast forward ten years and a ton of research have shown that Carnosine’s benefits stretch well beyond anti-aging.
In this article I will take you through the cutting edge science surrounding Carnosine; by the end of which, I’ve no doubt that you’ll be adding this supplement to your biohacking toolkit.
Contents
- Introduction
- My Experience With Carnosine
- The Carnosine Supplement That I Take
- Health Benefits of Carnosine
- 1) Carnosine is Anti-Aging & Promotes Longevity
- 2) Carnosine Helps Fix Mitochondria
- 3) Carnosine May Heal the Gut
- 4) Carnosine is Neuroprotective and Prevents Neurodegeneration
- 5) Carnosine Improves Memory
- 6) Carnosine is an Anti-Depressant
- 7) Carnosine Regulates the Immune System and is Anti-inflammatory
- 8) Carnosine May Treat Cancer
- 9) Carnosine May Prevent & Treat Alzheimer’s Disease
- 10) Carnosine May Treat Parkinson’s Disease
- 11) Carnosine Is Beneficial For Diabetics/Pre-Diabetics
- 12) Carnosine Makes Wounds Heal Faster
- 13) Carnosine Protects Against Lack of Blood Flow
- 14) Carnosine May Help You Detox Metals
- 15) Carnosine May Protect the Heart
- 16) Carnosine May Improve Physical Performance
- 17) Carnosine May Treat Epilepsy
- 18) Carnosine Protects Bone Health
- 19) Carnosine Lowers Blood Pressure
- 20) Carnosine May Protect Against Chemotherapy
- 21) Carnosine Protects the Liver (from toxins like alcohol)
- 22) Carnosine Prevents Hearing Loss
- 23) Carnosine Increases Rates of Reproduction
- 24) Carnosine Helps Regulate the Nervous System and Reduce Glutamate
- 25) Carnosine Promotes Eye Health
- 26) Carnosine Prevents Hangovers
- Carnosine Side Effects
- Natural Sources of Carnosine
- Buying Carnosine
- Health Tools I Wish I Had When I Was Sick
Introduction
Carnosine is a combination of the amino acids, beta-alanine, and histidine (R).
Carnosine is present in the brain, kidney and skeletal muscle of fish, birds, and mammals (R).
Carnosine is known to be capable of preventing cellular damage from free radicals, such as reactive oxygen species (like hydroxyl radicals and superoxide) and reactive nitrogen species (R).
Carnosine is useful in the human body because of its capability of affecting so many different tissue types (R).
In human studies, various disease states have been associated with low Carnosine levels (R, R1, R2).
My Experience With Carnosine
My experience with carnosine is unremarkable. I don’t notice any cognitive effect from this supplement, but I like it for its anti-aging purposes.
The Carnosine Supplement That I Take
Below, I give a few good sources of Carnosine, but a lot of people want to to know exactly which one I take:
Carnosine Snapshot
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Pros
Cons
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Health Benefits of Carnosine
1) Carnosine is Anti-Aging & Promotes Longevity
In rat studies, Carnosine levels have been shown to decline with age (R).
A number of experiments carried out in Australia showed that Carnosine reinvigorates cells as they approach senescence (the stage just before they die when the cell is not functioning). Cells were given Carnosine actually looked and behaved younger than untreated cells (R, R1).
Importantly, Carnosine reversed the signs of aging in these senescent (nearly dead) cells. This means that Carnosine is a great hack for older people who want to look younger, as well as those who want to continue looking young (R, R1).
Signs of cellular aging soon reappeared when Carnosine was taken away from the cells. Therefore, it’s probably necessary to take Carnosine long term to achieve continued benefits (R).
In a Russian study on mice, 44% of the mice given Carnosine had young, healthy looking fur into old age, compared to just 5% of the untreated mice. Similarly, 9% of the untreated mice behaved youthfully in old age, whereas 58% of the mice treated with Carnosine showed youthful vigor (R, R1).
Protein glycation involves the reaction of protein and sugars in the blood stream. This reaction damages the proteins involved and is a major factor in aging. Carnosine has been shown to protect cellular proteins from damage in the following ways:
- Carnosine bonds with the carbonyl/aldehyde groups that would otherwise bind with and damage proteins (R).
- Carnosine limits the formation of oxidized sugars, commonly known as Advanced Glycosylation End-products (AGEs) by acting as an antioxidant. From an anti-aging perspective, the fewer AGEs created in your body the better (R, R1).
Vegetarians have higher levels of these AGEs than omnivores. This may be because of the absence of Carnosine in vegetarian diets – although high fructose consumption could also play a role (R).
When placed in the connective tissue of rats, Carnosine promoted the production of vimentin. It has been suggested that vimentin plays an important role in the elimination of oxidized proteins (via oxidized protein hydrolase) that contribute to aging (R, R1).
Carnosine prevents lipid, DNA, and protein damage by removing harmful metals via chelation (R).
Carnosine glycates easily and, in doing so, may spare important proteins, such as Hsc-70, from glycation that, if sustained, contributes to aging (R).
Supplementing Carnosine to the food of fruit flies resulted in a 20% increase in the average lifespan of males, but no change in the average life span of females (R).
In one study, Carnosine administered to the brain increased blood cortisone levels, which have been linked to increased lifespan of human fibroblast cells (R).
In agreement with this, human fibroblast cells treated with Carnosine had longer lifespans (413 days versus up to 139 days for the control cells) (R).
2) Carnosine Helps Fix Mitochondria
Italian researchers found that mice given Carnosine had a complete reversal of age-related mitochondrial dysfunction. The improvement was so dramatic that the treated mice actually had better mitochondrial function than normal, healthy mice (R).
3) Carnosine May Heal the Gut
In a cell study, Zinc Carnosine decreased damage to the hair-like structures, called villi, that line the gut (R).
Zinc Carnosine was able to protect against a drug (indomethacin) that would otherwise cause leaky gut (R).
Indomethacin triggers the death of a type of cell found in the mucosal membrane of mouse guts. Zinc Carnosine prevented this (R).
When the stomach is exposed to bacteria, Zinc Carnosine decreases the production of inflammatory cytokines – the sort of inflammation that would cause bloating and discomfort (R).
4) Carnosine is Neuroprotective and Prevents Neurodegeneration
Malondialdehyde (MDA) is a toxic end-product of lipid peroxidation. A study on rats showed that Carnosine protects against MDA-induced toxicity, and inhibits protein modification caused by MDA (deleterious formation of cross-links and carbonyl groups) (R).
Taking common anesthetics often results in an increase in serotonin-derived melanoid (SDM). Carnosine protects against the neurotoxic effects of SDM. Therefore, Carnosine may be an important tool for limiting postoperative cognitive dysfunction (R).
Carnosine was shown to protect the mitochondria of cultured brain cells (astroglia) against nitric oxide-induced damage (R).
In mice, Carnosine prevents the swelling, cell death, and free radical stress that occurs when the brain is starved of blood (R).
In mice, treatment with Carnosine significantly improved neurological function after a stroke-like event (R).
Animal studies definitively show that Carnosine can affect brain function & activity (R, R1).
That Carnosine can affect neurological function is no surprise seeing as Carnosine is produced by the brain and that Carnosine-specific transporters are found in parts of the blood–brain barrier (R).
In mice, Carnosine is able to protect against cognitive decline induced by a high fat diet – possibly by neutralizing toxic aldehydes caused by a high-fat diet (R).
Because Carnosine binds to zinc, it likely plays some role in controlling the availability of zinc ions in neuronal tissue, especially the olfactory lobe where both Carnosine and zinc are found in high amounts (R). This is important because the olfactory lobe controls smell – a loss of which is the first sign of neurodegeneration.
Carnosine increases mental capability in schizophrenics (R).
5) Carnosine Improves Memory
One study found that after 3 months of Carnosine supplementation at 500mg/day, patients performed better on verbal episodic memory tests (R).
Similarly, another study demonstrated improved verbal episodic memory in elderly people when they were given a combination of Anserine & Carnosine (R).
Carnosine, when combined with other compounds, such as polyphenols from blueberry and green tea and other amino acids, was shown to maintain the health of existing neurons and to promote neurogenesis (R).
6) Carnosine is an Anti-Depressant
Studies have shown that Carnosine has antidepressant activity in rats (R).
7) Carnosine Regulates the Immune System and is Anti-inflammatory
Carnosine was found to lower excessive immune responses in patients who have overactive immune systems. At the same time, Carnosine increases the immune response in those with under-active immune systems (like the elderly) (R).
This dual, regulatory ability of Carnosine makes it a vital tool for people with delicate immune systems, such as those with allergies and autoimmune conditions (R).
In rats, Carnosine decreases IL-1a and normalizes levels of gamma-glutamyltransferase (R).
In brain tissue, Carnosine reduces inflammation by lowering TNF-a as well as nitric oxide synthesis (R).
Zinc-Carnosine has been shown to decrease pro‐inflammatory cytokines in gut cells that are exposed to Helicobacter pylori (R).
8) Carnosine May Treat Cancer
The anti-tumor properties of Carnosine were recognized more than three decades ago (R)
Carnosine limits DNA damage that can transform healthy cells into cancerous cells (R).
Carnosine inhibits tumor growth and helps prevent the spreading of existing cancers (metastasis) to healthy tissue (R, R1).
Carnosine lowers ATP levels in cancer cells, thereby depriving them of the energy they need to develop (R).
Carnosine decreases AGEs, which are commonly implicated in cancer (R).
Carnosine increases the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs, like 5-FU (R).
In neck cancer, Carnosine reduced the number of cancer cells (by binding to caspase 3) (R).
Carnosine, when combined with a protein shell (capsid) of an oncolytic adenovirus, caused cell death in lung cancer cells by enhancing viral replication and affecting the expression of Hsp27r (R).
By reducing mitochondrial oxidative stress, Carnosine slows the aging of cells that leads to ovarian cancer (R).
Cancer cells exposed directly to Carnosine showed less ability to thrive or proliferate and increased frequency of death (R).
9) Carnosine May Prevent & Treat Alzheimer’s Disease
Low blood levels of Carnosine have been associated with Alzheimer’s (R).
Carnosine may prevent Alzheimer’s by counteracting the build up of aldehydes and amyloid plaques, which are widely considered to be the primary causes of Alzheimer’s (R).
The aggregation of beta amyloid into fibrillar structures contributed to Alzheimer’s disease. Carnosine was found to impede the formation of fibrillar structures by altering the hydrogen bond network involved in fibrillogenesis (R).
Research has demonstrated that introducing beta amyloid to cultured rat brain cells causes toxic effects, but that this damage could be significantly lowered by adding Carnosine to the mixture (R).
By protecting the brain against free radical and advanced glycation end-products (discussed below), Carnosine may provide a useful tool for tackling Alzheimer’s (R, R1, R2).
Carbonic anhydrase is lower in Alzheimer’s patient brains. Carbonic anhydrase, which impairs learning in animals. Carnosine acts as a Carbonic anhydrase activator (R).
An imbalance of naturally occurring metals, such as copper, iron, and zinc have all been reported to play an important role in exacerbating Alzheimer’s pathology. Carnosine is able to chelate these metals (R, R1).
As mentioned above, Carnosine supplementation decreases the formation of AGEs. Increased levels of AGEs in the spinal fluid are associated with Alzheimer’s (R).
10) Carnosine May Treat Parkinson’s Disease
Carnosine reduces the formation and promotes the breakdown, of abnormal proteins that are a cause of Parkinson’s (R).
It is thought that mitochondrial dysfunction as a result of oxidative damage plays an important role in Parkinson’s. Carnosine has been shown to suppress the type of oxidative damage linked with Parkinson’s (R).
MPTP is a neurotoxin that induces symptoms akin to Parkinson’s (short term tremor, weight loss, rigidity etc.). One study found that, in animals, Carnosine (100mg/kg for 14 days) decreased the severity of MPTP-induced symptoms. This corresponded with lower levels of lipid hydroperoxides and MAOB activity in their brains (R).
Studies have shown that patients with Parkinson’s often have damaged glyceraldehyde dehydrogenase, an important enzyme found in the frontal cortex of the brain. This damage leads to decreased ATP production and increased production of the highly toxic agent, methylglyoxal. Carnosine protects against damage to the glyceraldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme (R).
Carnosine promotes protein balance by decreasing methylglyoxal, which is often raised in those with Parkinson’s (R).
The brain’s substantia nigra, the section where dopamine is made, is prone to reaction with methylglyoxal, especially in the presence of high blood sugar. This harmful reaction, which makes ACTIQ, is prevented by Carnosine (R).
Carnosine inhibits malondialdehyde (MDA) toxicity in neuronal cells and limits the formation of protein carbonyls and protein cross-linking associated with Parkinson’s (R).
L-dopa is often used as a way to maintain dopamine levels in Parkinson’s sufferers. Unfortunately, some of the by-products of L-dopa are neurotoxic (e.g. those containing aldehyde groups). Carnosine neutralizes these toxic compounds and, therefore, is probably a fantastic supplement to combine with L-dopa therapy (R).
In fact, one study showed that a combination of L-dopa and Carnosine treatment (1.5 g/day) improved a number of neurological symptoms, such as rigidity of the hands and legs, and increased hand movement and leg agility. This corresponded to a decrease in protein carbonyls in the blood (R).
11) Carnosine Is Beneficial For Diabetics/Pre-Diabetics
Studies show that people who are diabetic or pre-diabetic have low concentrations (63% below normal) of Carnosine in their muscle and brain cells (R).
Obese individuals who were given Carnosine had a decrease in their blood sugar levels (R).
Carnosine strengthens the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves that communicate with the adrenal glands, liver, kidney, pancreas, stomach, and white and brown fat tissues; all important regulators of blood sugar levels, not to mention blood pressure, appetite, fat cell death, and the burning of fat (R).
As well as stabilizing blood sugars in diabetics, Carnosine also protects against the many complications of diabetes, such as organ failure, hearing loss, osteoporosis, eye problems, heart damage and more (R, R1, R2, R3).
People with diabetes often have peripheral neuropathy – a condition where the nerves in the body’s extremities (hands, feet, and arms) are damaged. Carnosine can prevent pain associated with this condition (R).
Carnosine can prevent the formation of glycated low-density lipoprotein which can stimulate the formation of foam cells that are linked with circulatory disorders commonly seen in diabetics (R).
12) Carnosine Makes Wounds Heal Faster
One study that treated rodents with Carnosine (100mg/kg internally and applied topically) found that Carnosine significantly improved wound healing by increasing the expression of beneficial growth factors and cytokines (R).
A cell study found that Carnosine increased the ability of human skin and blood vessel cells to function optimally in the presence of high glucose. Therefore, Carnosine may be an important tool for encouraging wound healing in groups who typically have high blood sugars (e.g. elderly and diabetics) (R).
13) Carnosine Protects Against Lack of Blood Flow
Rats treated with Carnosine prior to having blood flow restricted to their livers had far less liver damage than the untreated rats. Therefore, Carnosine might be useful as a preventative treatment to protect tissues against a lack of blood flow and hypoxia (R).
14) Carnosine May Help You Detox Metals
Carnosine is able to chelate divalent metal ions (R).
Carnosine has been shown to form complexes with calcium, copper, and zinc ions (R, R1).
The following are devalent ions that carnosine can chelate: Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Strontium, Cobalt, Nickel, Tin and Barium and Baryllium.
15) Carnosine May Protect the Heart
Studies have shown that Carnosine can improve heart function, possibly by regulating cellular calcium levels – as Carnosine has been shown to do in rats (R, R1).
Carnosine provides protection against the hardening of arteries (R).
16) Carnosine May Improve Physical Performance
Several studies have reported that β-alanine (precursor of Carnosine) supplementation can increase high-intensity exercise performance, lean muscle gains, increase VO2 max and speed up training adaptations. The mechanism behind these effects are not fully understood but are at least partly attributable to Carnosine’s ability to increase muscle buffering capacity (R).
17) Carnosine May Treat Epilepsy
A study on rats who were given artificially induced seizures found that administration of Carnosine (at 500mg/kg) decreased the severity and duration of seizures (R).
These results indicate that Carnosine is a powerful anticonvulsant that, in future, could be used as an anti-epileptic drug with few side effects (R, R1).
18) Carnosine Protects Bone Health
Carnosine-zinc complexes (Zinc Carnosine) have been shown to treat and reverse bone loss in animal and human models by stimulating bone growth by osteoblasts (R, R1).
It is speculated that Carnosine may enhance the positive effects of estrogen on bone growth (R).
Carnosine reduces glycation, a process which can cause problems with bone cell (osteoblast) function (R, R1).
When placed in the connective tissue of rats, Carnosine promoted the production of vimentin, a cell protein important for the maintenance of bone integrity (R).
19) Carnosine Lowers Blood Pressure
Carnosine lowers blood pressure through vasodilation (opening blood vessels). One mechanism by which it achieves this is by increasing nitric oxide production (R, R1).
20) Carnosine May Protect Against Chemotherapy
Carnosine protects the bone marrow cells of mice against genetic damage caused by the chemotherapy drug, cyclophosphamide. Carnosine’s antioxidant properties reduced the oxidative stress and genetic toxicity of the drug (R).
21) Carnosine Protects the Liver (from toxins like alcohol)
In mice, Carnosine protects against alcohol damage: Following 3 weeks of alcohol poisoning, Carnosine treatment lowered liver MDA (raised during liver injury) levels by 40%, increased liver glutathione levels and decreased inflammatory cytokine production (R).
Carnosine can prevent and repair chemical alterations and structural damage to the liver caused by excessive alcohol. Therefore Carnosine might be a useful supplement to take next time you drink (R).
Carnosine prevented cell death, swelling, and thickening of the connective tissue in chemical-induced liver injury. These changes corresponded decreased levels of TNF-a, and a normalization of IL-10 levels (R).
In rats with injured livers, Carnosine reduced oxidative stress by balancing the levels of Nrf-2 (R).
22) Carnosine Prevents Hearing Loss
Carnosine was able to protect against the loss of hearing caused by antibiotics and other drugs. The mechanism by which this happens is unclear but it could be a result of Carnosine’s antioxidant properties; reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been repeatedly linked with deafness in both humans and animals (R).
23) Carnosine Increases Rates of Reproduction
Yeast, raised on a glucose medium, reproduced far quicker in the presence of Carnosine (R).
24) Carnosine Helps Regulate the Nervous System and Reduce Glutamate
Carnosine strengthens the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves that communicate with the adrenal glands (R).
The kidney brush border possesses a Carnosine transport system and Carnosine has been shown to influence sympathetic nervous system activity in the kidney (R, (R1).
Carnosine increases GABA, reduces glutamate and increases nervous system transporters (GLT1 & EAAC1) (R).
25) Carnosine Promotes Eye Health
Russian studies have verified that Carnosine prevents cataracts, probably via a combination of its antioxidant and anti-glycating properties (R).
The use of Carnosine-containing eye-drops for 2 to 6 months reduced vision deficiencies (measured by lens opacity & visual acuity) that are usually a side effect of cataracts (R, R1).
26) Carnosine Prevents Hangovers
It is thought that acetaldehyde generation is a major source of hangovers experienced after drinking alcohol.
Seeing as Carnosine has been proven to react with acetaldehyde and protect human skin and immune cells (lymphocytes) against its toxicity (R), it may be that Carnosine supplementation is an effective way to prevent ‘hangovers’, while also protecting the brain and other important tissues against alcohol-induced oxidative damage (R).
Carnosine Side Effects
By most accounts, Carnosine is non-toxic and perfectly safe (R).
It is theoretically possible that Carnosine may compromise blood clotting by inhibiting the enzyme, serum transglutaminase. However, at this point, this suggestion is purely speculative and I wouldn’t worry about it (R).
Carnosine does bind to some good minerals, so supplementing with mineral might be a good idea if you’re taking it in the long term.
Also, you should take it on an empty stomach to prevent it from binding to good minerals.
Natural Sources of Carnosine
Grass-fed, pasture-raised meat is the best way to get Carnosine from natural sources. An average 7-ounce serving of beef has about 250 milligrams of Carnosine. which will typically remain in your bloodstream for about five hours (R).
Buying Carnosine
Here are some options for high-quality Carnosine supplements that don’t contain fillers that some people are worried about:
Also good:
Health Tools I Wish I Had When I Was Sick
At SelfHacked, it’s our goal to offer our readers all the tools possible to get optimally healthy. When I was struggling with chronic health issues I felt stuck because I didn’t have any tools to help me get better. I had to spend literally thousands of hours trying to read through studies on pubmed to figure out how the body worked and how to fix it.
That’s why I decided to create tools that will help others cut down the guesswork:
- Lab Test Analyzer – a software tool that will analyze your labs and tell you what the optimal values are for each marker — as well as provide you with actionable tips and personalized health and lifestyle recommendations to help you get there.
- SelfDecode – a software tool that will help you analyze your genetic data from companies such as 23andme and ancestry. You will learn how your health is being impacted by your genes, and how to use this knowledge to your advantage.
- SelfHacked Elimination Diet course – a video course that will help you figure out which diet works best for you
- Selfhacked Inflammation course – a video course on inflammation and how to bring it down
- SelfHacked Secrets – an ebook where we examine and explain the biggest overlooked environmental factors that cause disease. This ebook is a great place to start your journey if you want to learn the essential steps to optimizing your health.
- Biohacking insomnia – an ebook on how to get great sleep
- Lectin Avoidance Cookbook – an e-cookbook for people with food sensitivities
- BrainGauge – a device that detects subtle brain changes and allows you to test what’s working for you
- SelfHacked VIP – an area where you can ask me (Joe) questions about health topics
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21 COMMENTS
Submitted February 27, 2018 07:22PM
My definite experience is that taking carnosine and taurine together will produce an unpleasant physiologic response, more unpleasant than niacin flush. If taken on the same day they should be separated by six hours minimum. Not to get too far off topic but BEWARE anything containing soy lecithin, including whey! Very likely hexane and acetone were used in the extraction treatment process, and these can cause potentially dangerous seizures, especially in the elderly. I have seen it happen TWICE!
Submitted January 6, 2018 02:25AM
If that’s true, why do my SDA friends have so many serious health problems? We lost on 2 years ago in his 60’s. That’s just too young.
Submitted December 26, 2017 10:10AM
Also, the population with the highest life expectancy are The Adventist vegetarians in California who eat 100% meat-free diet – i.e. 100% plant-based.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11434797
Submitted December 26, 2017 10:01AM
The one study that found higher levels in vegetarians appears to have been a fluke. A larger study performed by the same research group (90 vegetarians compared to the original 19) did not find significantly higher AGE levels: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mnfr.200500170/abstract
Submitted December 21, 2017 03:12PM
Zinc Carnosine worked real well for me when I was having gut issues. However, for those that are looking for anti-aging benefits, I don’t believe there is enough carnosine in that compound for that purpose. Plus, the carnosine in the zinc carnosine compound is probably taken up in the gut tissue with no systemic effects, of course, it was designed to heal the gut.
Submitted June 17, 2017 12:13AM
The pure L-carnosine is somewhat efficient, though to the break down in digestive system. The only carnosine formula that ensure that whole carnosine molecule penetrates the cell membrane is Karnozin Extra.
Submitted January 17, 2017 03:15PM
I heard carnosine uptake is poor due to Carnosinase,
so what to think about it ?
IS beta alanine not a better way to increase carnosine content of tissues?
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Joseph Asenjo
Submitted February 13, 2017 10:07AM
Yes Joseph, I am not sure if carnosinase ruin all the carnosine benefits (in vivo), but probably it is the main problem of carnosine
Submitted October 5, 2016 11:50AM
Excellent info as always! Would taking this cause an imbalance to the other amino acids? I will be taking zinc carnosine from Lane Labs called Natures Lining 🙂
Submitted September 19, 2016 09:45AM
Hi Joseph,
I have been taking l carnosine 1 mg/ 2 doses 500mg a day for a year and I feel great. Will a lower dose be sufficient for general anti-glycation/aging properties since I stick to a low-carb high protein diet? Taking relative cost/benefit into account, would there be a better alternative for carnosine inspite of it’s multi beneficial properties? I am more concerned with anti aging benefits.
Submitted July 12, 2016 01:26PM
Is this safe to be taken with epilepsy or other meds? What is the difference between Acetyl-L-Carintine, which I give my autistic son for mitochondrial support, and this?
Submitted June 28, 2016 08:43AM
I read that beta alanine goes only to the muscles whereas Carnisine has the multi systemic effects. Would love to know if this si true. Obviously Beta alanine powder is much less expensive.
Submitted June 28, 2016 04:51AM
I’m keen on using the beta alanine but I think slow release is best way ahead. Joseph what’s your preferred route given the multiple benefits?
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Joseph M. Cohen
Submitted June 30, 2016 06:09AM
Carnosine
Submitted June 28, 2016 02:53AM
HI Joseph,
Some of your cited research used a complex of zinc with carnosine. What do you think of the purported gut health benefits of this complex ? And do you think you also get the other benefits you talked about from supplementing with just L Carnosine by taking the zinc carnosine complex?
Submitted June 23, 2016 12:09PM
What about taking beta-alanine / carnosyn instead? According to wiki it is more effective and MUCH cheaper.
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Joseph M. Cohen
Submitted June 23, 2016 10:03PM
I didn’t like how I felt from beta alanine but others seem to not mind it
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Hans
Submitted June 24, 2016 11:05AM
Thanks. I’m thinking beta-alanine should be good for histamine intolerance since I guess it would tie up histidine to make carnosine in addition to the other benefits. Definitely going to give it a try.
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Submitted June 23, 2016 10:23AM
I understand that carnosine breaks down in the digestive track and then is reassembled in the muscle. I also read that taking beta alanine improves muscular endurance by forming carnosine in the muscle. It is also cheaper than carnosine and taste sweet. So, it might be a cheaper alternative to carnosine. If I take too much, it gives me a pins-and-needles sensation in the lips, chin and neck, but it is very short-lived and harmless.
Are L-Carnosine and Anastrozole compatible?