The use of beta-alanine supplementation is usually associated with endurance sports. Athletes use supplementation to improve their performance. However, biologists at the University of Southern California have discovered that the use of beta-alanine can affect the mitigation of the effects of glycation.
The human body is constructed in such a way that the more glucose we deliver to the body, the more glycemic products we obtain in the form of AGE. Their effects on the human body include, among others, accelerating the aging process.
The aim of the researchers was to check whether carnosine (a powerful antioxidant that is synthesized by providing beta-alanine to the body) slows down the aging process of cells. For this purpose, an experiment was carried out on Escherichia coli bacteria that had been exposed to high-glucose glucose. This process was designed to quickly increase the amount of AGE and induce the death of bacterial cells. In the second trial, the cells were additionally given carnosine.
The addition of carnosine to the sample with E.Coli bacteria reduced the production of AEG. Furthermore, the activity of the methylglyoxal compound, which showed less toxic effects on cells, also decreased.
The use of carnosine effectively extends the life of the cell. The study of Americans confirmed the assumptions of the Russians, but until now the mechanism of action of carnosine was less known. Beta-alanine therefore has a protective effect on cells, which confirms the assumption about the use of antioxidants as natural protectors of life.
Sources: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2010 December; 76 (24) 7925-30.
