β-alanine is a supplement that may have particular effects beneficial in resistance training on account of its ability to raise muscle concentrations of carsosine. Carnosine acts as a significant buffer to reductions in pH during intense exercise and this is the mechanism that is thought to be responsible for the performance effects of β-alanine. However, β-alanine can, as a side effect, induce paresthesia, which is an itching or tingling sensation in the skin when consumed in reasonably high concentrations. The exact reasons for this are not clear but may involve the innervation of neurons in the skin that are activated by G-protein coupled receptors that are sensitive to β-alanine. Evidence suggests this itch is not related to the release of histamine, and the circuits involved in the itch are likely independent of the histamine system. This may suggest that β-alanine has effects beyond those of the increase of carnosine in muscle and one of these effects may be neuronal in nature.
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