Creatine vs Beta-alanine: what to choose and for whom

If the budget for supplements is limited, the logical question is what to buy first: creatine or beta-alanine. The editorial team examined how the choice depends on the sport, goals and the person's characteristics, how to take each supplement according to the positions of scientific societies, and when it makes sense to combine both.

The principle of choice: the type of load

The main thing that determines the choice is the duration and nature of a typical effort in your sport. Creatine gives the most where work lasts seconds and is repeated after short pauses: strength sets, jumps, sprints, bursts in team games. Beta-alanine is most useful where an intense effort lasts from half a minute to a few minutes and the muscles «burn» from acidification.

The second factor is the goal. If gains in muscle mass and strength matter, creatine has the largest evidence base among supplements that support these adaptations in combination with training. Beta-alanine has practically no effect on body weight.

The third factor is sensitivity to body weight. Creatine usually increases weight by 1-2 kg due to water in muscle. For a bodybuilder or footballer this is not a problem, but for an athlete in a weight category before a weigh-in or for a middle-distance runner it is worth taking into account.

Finally, it is worth assessing the timing. Creatine can be «loaded» in a week, while beta-alanine needs weeks for the carnosine level to rise noticeably. If a competition is in two weeks, it is already too late to start taking beta-alanine and count on the full effect.

Choice by sport and goals

Drawing on the IOC consensus (Maughan et al., 2018), the ISSN position stands and the meta-analysis by Saunders and co-authors (2017), the editorial team has compiled an indicative table of priorities. It does not take individual characteristics into account but helps to get one's bearings.

For an amateur who goes to the gym for health and fitness, creatine is usually the first and often the only choice of the two. It is cheap, well studied and supports progress in strength training. Beta-alanine is worth considering when a significant part of training consists of intense intervals.

For older people the interest in creatine is linked to supporting muscle mass and strength in combination with strength training, which is also mentioned in the ISSN position stand. Beta-alanine has been studied less in this group.

How to take creatine

The ISSN position stand (Kreider et al., 2017) describes two working approaches. The first is a loading phase: about 0.3 g per kilogram of body weight a day (for most people this is roughly 20 g), split into 4 intakes, over 5-7 days, and then a maintenance dose of 3-5 g a day. The second is 3-5 g a day right away, which gives the same level of saturation in about 3-4 weeks.

The time of intake during the day is of secondary importance compared with regularity. Taking it together with food that contains carbohydrates and protein may slightly improve the uptake of creatine by muscle. The main thing is not to skip days, in order to maintain saturation.

The optimal form is creatine monohydrate. Other forms, such as creatine ethyl ester, «buffered» creatine or hydrochloride, have no convincing advantages according to ISSN data, although they often cost more. Micronised monohydrate dissolves better but does not differ in effectiveness.

• drink enough water, especially during the loading phase;
• in case of stomach discomfort, split the dose into several intakes or skip the loading phase;
• warn the doctor about taking creatine before a creatinine test;
• in kidney diseases, start with a doctor's consultation.

How to take beta-alanine

The ISSN position stand (Trexler et al., 2015) recommends 4-6 g of beta-alanine a day, split into intakes of up to 2 g or less, over at least 2-4 weeks. The effect strengthens with the duration of intake: in the study by Hill and co-authors (2007) the carnosine content continued to increase even after the fourth week, reaching about +80% by the tenth week.

To reduce paraesthesia - tingling of the skin after intake - the dose is split into 3-4 smaller portions over the day or slow-release forms are used. Taking it with food, according to study data, may improve the retention of beta-alanine in muscle.

As with creatine, a single intake before training makes no sense for the carnosine effect. The tingling that many people feel from pre-workout complexes is exactly beta-alanine, but the sensation itself does not mean that the supplement «works» during that workout.

After intake is stopped, the carnosine level falls slowly, over several months, so short breaks do not undo what has accumulated. However, for a stable effect systematic intake during the preparation period for competition matters.

Combination, special groups and mistakes

Since the mechanisms of action differ, creatine and beta-alanine can be taken together. The ISSN position stand on beta-alanine notes that the combination may be appropriate for athletes who combine strength work with intense interval loads. There are data on an additional effect of the combination, but they are not as unambiguous as for each supplement separately.

Special groups. Vegetarians and vegans usually have lower baseline creatine stores and may get a greater increase from it. Athletes in weight categories should plan creatine intake taking weigh-ins into account. Minors, pregnant women and people with chronic kidney diseases need a doctor's consultation before taking supplements.

Typical mistakes the editorial team encounters:

• expecting an effect from beta-alanine within one or two weeks;
• taking creatine only on training days with long breaks;
• overpaying for «improved» forms of creatine without proven advantages;
• choosing beta-alanine for maximum strength in a single repetition, where it is of little use;
• buying supplements without certification by athletes who undergo doping control.

The IOC consensus reminds us: any supplement is only an addition to the training process, nutrition and recovery. Without enough protein, calories and sleep, neither creatine nor beta-alanine will give the effect described in studies.

Editorial conclusions

For strength sports, mass gain, sprinting and most gym-goers, the first choice is creatine monohydrate. For sports with intense efforts lasting from half a minute to a few minutes - middle-distance running, rowing, combat sports - beta-alanine may take priority.

For mixed loads, such as CrossFit or team games, combining both supplements is entirely logical. For both, one rule applies: the effect is provided by regular intake and accumulation in muscle, not by a single serving before training.

The mechanisms of action are covered in detail in the article «Creatine vs Beta-alanine: what is the difference». We also recommend the editorial pieces on the forms of creatine, on creatine and the kidneys and «Meldonium vs L-carnitine: what to choose and for whom».

References

1. Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18.
2. Hultman E, Söderlund K, Timmons JA, et al. Muscle creatine loading in men. J Appl Physiol. 1996;81(1):232–237.
3. Trexler ET, Smith-Ryan AE, Stout JR, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015;12:30.
4. Hill CA, Harris RC, Kim HJ, et al. Influence of beta-alanine supplementation on skeletal muscle carnosine concentrations and high intensity cycling capacity. Amino Acids. 2007;32(2):225–233.
5. Saunders B, Elliott-Sale K, Artioli GG, et al. β-alanine supplementation to improve exercise capacity and performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2017;51(8):658–669.
6. Hobson RM, Saunders B, Ball G, et al. Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis. Amino Acids. 2012;43(1):25–37.
7. Maughan RJ, Burke LM, Dvorak J, et al. IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(7):439–455.