Top-7 Beta-Alanine Supplements for Vegans
Beta-alanine is now one of the most popular pre-workout supplements for gym buffs, fitness freaks, and pro athletes worldwide. Do you know that tingling sensation you get after taking a pre-workout supplement? That’s beta-alanine working its way through your system.
Your body naturally produces beta-alanine, but you can now buy it as a supplement for an extra boost pre-workout. Many weightlifters and elite athletes report that beta-alanine has helped them improve strength and endurance.
This article is a short but detailed guide to everything you need to know about beta-alanine supplements. First, let’s take a look at the top 7 beta-alanine supplements on the market for vegans.
- 7 Best Beta-Alanine Supplements for Vegans
- What is Beta-Alanine?
- What Are Beta-Alanine Supplements?
- Why You Should Pair Beta-Alanine With Taurine
- What Are the Benefits of Supplementing Beta-Alanine?
- Who Should Supplement Beta-Alanine?
- How Much Beta-Alanine Should You Take?
- Are There Any Side Effects of Taking Beta-Alanine?
- How to Decide on the Best Beta-Alanine Supplement
7 Best Beta-Alanine Supplements for Vegans
I have drawn on my own experience as well as crawling the web for the best-rated and best-reviewed beta-alanine supplements currently out there for vegans. So you can make the best decision.
1. Transparent Labs Beta-Alanine (This product is not available at the moment)
Easily the top beta-alanine supplement on the market. Trusted by thousands (including me), Transparent labs have created a high-quality and effective beta-alanine product.
This is the RawSeries and comes with a high purity with no added fillers or preservatives. There are also no sugars or flavors. It’s just a powerful, pure form of beta-alanine scientifically proven to improve your workout.
Transparent Labs are a well-respected supplements brand. As their name suggests, they’re entirely transparent about their products. In a world of dodgy supplements, this is a breath of fresh air and what makes this company so popular.
You will only find this product on their website.
2. BulkSupplements Beta-Alanine
BulkSupplements are another no-nonsense supplements company. Simple but effective products at a great price. They even minimize packaging so they can pass on the savings to their customers.
Their beta-alanine is tested for purity and quality. If you’re looking for a pure beta-alanine powder to mix in with your pre-workout shake, look no further.
This beta-alanine supplement will pump you full of energy, and you will notice the effects pretty quickly. One pack should last you around 2 months if you follow the scoop guidance.
Amazon Rating: 4.5 Stars/14k+ Reviews
iHerb Rating: N/A
3. Optimum Nutrition Beta-Alanine
People absolutely love this brand. They’re well-trusted within the fitness community and provide a wide range of excellent fitness supplements.
Customers repeatedly review the product as giving them a significant energy boost and noticeable improvement in their performance.
The best version is the unflavored powder so you can mix and customize as you wish. You can get flavors such as Fruit fusion if you like flavored supplements.
This product uses CarnoSyn beta-alanine. Considered to be a more powerful and effective version of pure beta-alanine.
Amazon Rating: 4.5 Stars/210+ Reviews
iHerb Rating: N/A
4. NOW Sports Beta-Alanine
This is a simple and pure beta-alanine product from the trusted brand NOW. Vegans seem to love this brand, especially for their NOW Foods range.
This product contains 2g of beta-alanine per serving. It is dosed adequately and will be sure to give you that extra boost you need before a workout. There are no nasty ingredients.
NOW Sports pure beta-alanine is also one of the most cost-effective options on this list. The NOW brand has made its success by providing effective supplements for a reasonable price. That’s why their customers love them.
Amazon Rating: 4.5 Stars/280+ Reviews
iHerb Rating: 4.5 Stars/115+ Reviews
5. ALL Max Nutrition Beta-Alanine
ALL Max offers a high-quality beta-alanine supplement that has been laboratory tested and certified for 99.99% purity. It is also Informed-Choice Certified, which means the product has also gone through rigorous 3rd-party testing for quality and purity.
1 teaspoon of ALL Max beta-alanine packs a powerful 3.2g. More than enough to smash your workout and hit your personal bests.
If you’re looking for a trusted brand delivering a quality product for a reasonable price, ALL Max Nutrition Beta-Alanine is for you.
Amazon Rating: 4 Stars/15+ Reviews
iHerb Rating: 4.5 Stars/130+ Reviews
6. PrimaForce Beta-Alanine
This simple but powerful supplement from the PrimaForce guys. Each does packs 2g of beta-alanine, which will have you pumping and running in the gym like a mad man.
It’s a simple formula designed to give you the best results for a reasonable price. There isn’t anything particularly unique about this product. It’s just simple, cost-effective, and gets the job done. That’s my kind of product, I don’t need all the bells and whistles.
If you’re after a reliable product for a reasonable price, then I highly recommend PrimaForce beta-alanine. PrimaForce is rapidly growing in popularity, simply because they’re turning out to be a great company. You can’t argue with that.
Amazon Rating: 4.5 Stars/150+ Reviews
iHerb Rating: 4.5 Stars/50+ Reviews
7. NutraBIO Beta-Alanine
This beta-alanine supplement from NutraBIO comes in capsule form (it’s vegan, don’t worry!), and all the ingredients are 3rd-party tested for purity and quality. This is a top-quality sports supplement.
NutraBIO has opted for pure CarnoSyn, a more powerful and effective form of beta-alanine. The capsule form is useful to anyone that doesn’t want to take a pre-workout shake. Just down a capsule and off you go.
This product will probably last much longer than powders. You should have enough capsules to last 3 months or longer.
Amazon Rating: 4 Stars/30+ Reviews
iHerb Rating: N/A
What is Beta-Alanine?
Beta-alanine is a naturally occurring non-essential amino acid that is produced by the body. The beta-alanine supplements you can buy are a modified version of the amino acid.
It is considered non-essential because your body can create it on its own. This means getting beta-alanine in your diet is not essential. However, extra beta-alanine can benefit your performance, strength, and endurance during physical exercise.
Amino acids are the building blocks for protein. There are 21 amino acids, but just 9 of them are considered essential. All amino acids play different vital roles for muscle growth, repair, and maintenance.
Meat and dairy products are rich in amino acids. Therefore, vegans may find supplementing amino acid supplements useful, especially if they’re working out a lot. But amino acid supplementation is not considered necessary for vegans, as long as they’re eating plant foods rich in protein.
What Are Beta-Alanine Supplements?
Beta-alanine supplements are accessible within the fitness community. Simply because beta-alanine has been shown to improve performance, increase strength, and endurance.
Beta-alanine is commonly used by regulars at the gym and elite athletes. It is usually supplemented pre-workout. You will find some pre-workout supplements include beta-alanine as a key ingredient.
Vegans produce sufficient amounts of beta-alanine naturally in their bodies. Beta-alanine might be a useful supplement if you want to boost performance and hit new fitness goals.
The reason beta-alanine can boost your performance is down to its ability to increase your levels of carnosine. When you do a tough workout, your body naturally produces hydrogen ions. This changes the PH levels of your muscles. Once that happens, your muscles start to decrease in strength.
A Beta-alanine helps bridge that gap by increasing levels of carnosine, which is effective at fighting against the hydrogen ions and change of PH level.
This newfound ability to fight off fatigue will help you boost your performance during physical activity. Beta-alanine will get you pumping in no time.
Why You Should Pair Beta-Alanine With Taurine
Taking beta-alanine can create a deficiency in taurine. This is because beta-alanine shares the same transporter to the cells.
While this effect has not yet been observed in humans, the evidence and logic shouldn’t be ignored. It’s best to be sure and supplement taurine with your beta-alanine.
Double-check your supplements, and if it doesn’t include taurine, you can always mix with a protein powder or pre-workout supplement that does.
What Are the Benefits of Supplementing Beta-Alanine?
There are several benefits of taking a beta-alanine supplement. These benefits have been scientifically proven and consistently observed in the users of beta-alanine.
Beta-alanine is considered by many to be as reliable and as effective as creatine.
Good for Muscle Building
Put simply, beta-alanine gives you a massive boost of energy before you hit the gym. This allows you to work much harder and spend more time in the gym.
The result of all that hard work will be bigger muscles and improved fitness. Beta-alanine fights against fatigue by balancing the PH levels in your muscles. This will keep you going harder for longer.
Excellent Source of Beta-Alanine for Vegans
As mentioned earlier, vegans don’t get lots of beta-alanine in their regular diet. Non-vegans receive a boost of beta-alanine when they eat various meats and dairy.
Supplementing beta-alanine is a great way to get hold of more to boost your workouts and improve your endurance.
Guaranteed to Boost Performance
Studies have shown that people who supplement beta-alanine for 30 consecutive days show significant improvement in their physical performance.
This improvement is thanks to the beta-alanine heavy dose of energy after supplementing. The harder you can go, the better the results.
Beta-Alanine May Help Fight Aging
Ok, I’m not saying it’s going to keep you looking younger. Studies have shown that the carnosine that is produced by beta-alanine can help fight the aging process by acting like resveratrol.
Resveratrol is a molecule that is known to protect the heart and improve your blood flow. It’s thought that increasing carnosine levels in the body can slow down the aging process because carnosine levels drop significantly when we age.
Carnosine is also thought to lower the cellular aging rate. Carnosine can help fight aging by reducing the telomere shortening in cultured fibroblasts.
Who Should Supplement Beta-Alanine?
Beta-alanine is best suited to regular gym-goers, those in training, and elite athletes. If you’re a vegan who barely works out, then forget about it. You won’t really benefit from supplementing beta-alanine.
Those who are specifically looking to improve strength and anaerobic performance should definitely consider a quality beta-alanine supplement.
Beta-alanine is most popular among weightlifters and endurance athletes. It allows them to perform harder for longer, helping them to achieve their goals.
Some research suggests that older people may also positively benefit from supplementing beta-alanine. Those in their older age looking to take on intense workouts will enjoy the extra energy to get through.
The older you’re, the fewer carnosine levels you probably have. Therefore, you will enjoy the benefits of beta-alanine.
How Much Beta-Alanine Should You Take?
It’s always best to supplement before your workout. This way, you will benefit from the quick burst of energy beta-alanine delivers to your body.
However, the time of day is not really important. The standard dose of beta-alanine is 2-5g per day. You should avoid taking more than 5g because you may experience some side effects (detailed below).
If you feel like the effects of beta-alanine hit you quickly, you can adjust accordingly and take a lower dose until you feel comfortable.
If you decide to mix your pure beta-alanine with another supplement, check if there is any beta-alanine already in the other supplement. You don’t want to take too much by accident. Beta-alanine is a popular ingredient in other pre-workout supplements.
Are There Any Side Effects of Taking Beta-Alanine?
Paresthesia is a common side effect when you have taken too much beta-alanine. This is the uncomfortable tingling or prickling feeling on your skin. You will most likely experience symptoms of paresthesia on your face, chest, or belly.
Side effects are only common when a person has taken too much beta-alanine. You should also watch out for itching or burning feelings on your skin.
If you experience these side effects, you should lower your dosage to 0.5-1g per day.
How to Decide on the Best Beta-Alanine Supplement
Buying any supplement in 2020 can be overwhelming and confusing. There are now so many brands and different types of supplements on the market. Where do you start?
Here are some things to consider when buying beta-alanine supplements.
The Dosage
You want a beta-alanine supplement with a dosage of between 2-5g per serving. Always check the label and make sure that each serving doesn’t exceed this amount. As discussed above, taking too much beta-alanine can lead to some side effects.
The Brand
In the supplement industry, you want to only go with trusted and well-recognized brands. Usually, the brands that have gone through extensive testing, including third-party testing.
Supplements are regularly tested for quality and purity, and there the products you can trust to be safe and effective. Unfortunately, many unscrupulous companies are trying to take your money in exchange for an inferior product.
Be savvy when you’re buying supplements. Look for certifications, top ratings, and excellent customer reviews. Or just use the awesome list I put together for you at the start of this article.
Work Out The Cost Per Serving
You may have seen big muscly men looking puzzled in the protein powder aisle in sports shops. It’s usually because they’re working out the cost per serving. This is important to make sure you’re getting value for your money.
Expensive supplements are not an indication of quality. Brands like BulkSupplements that made this list are a no thrill brand that minimize packaging to pass you the savings. But they also have some of the best products out there.
You also don’t want to go too cheap. If something is too good to be true, then it probably is. It’s also probably full of fillers and artificial ingredients. Take your time to think about what you’re buying.
Check the Ingredient List Thoroughly
Always check the label! You may be surprised to find several weird or nasty ingredients you wouldn’t expect to find in a supplement. Things like fillers, artificial colorings, flavorings, and random other stuff you can’t even pronounce the name of.
This is why my list focuses on pure beta-alanine supplements. Buy only what you need.
Final Thoughts
Are you a regular in the gym, an athlete in training, or a pro weightlifter? If so, then a high-quality beta-alanine can benefit your performance. You will be able to work harder in the gym, build more muscle, and reap the various benefits of increasing your carnosine levels.
Use this guide to make the best choice for you and one that is within your budget. Find the brand you like, give it a go for 30 days, and track any changes in your improvement. Always train safety and know your limits. Always follow the recommended dosage.
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