{"id":68,"date":"2008-04-01T15:36:29","date_gmt":"2008-04-01T13:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.ultimatefatburner.com\/wordpress\/ingredient-watch-beta-alanine-ethyl-ester-hcl\/"},"modified":"2015-12-02T10:41:57","modified_gmt":"2015-12-02T15:41:57","slug":"ingredient-watch-beta-alanine-ethyl-ester-hcl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ultimatefatburner.com\/ufb-blog\/ingredient-watch-beta-alanine-ethyl-ester-hcl\/","title":{"rendered":"Ingredient Watch: beta alanine ethyl ester HCl"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just so we’re clear: beta-alanine is a naturally occurring\u00a0amino acid\u00a0that the body uses to make carnosine.\u00a0 Muscle carnosine, in turn,\u00a0buffers hydrogen ions produced during exercise.\u00a0 Since\u00a0taking additional\u00a0beta-alanine can boost muscle carnosine stores and improve performance\/endurance, it’s\u00a0become a pretty popular supplement ingredient.\u00a0\u00a0Beta alanine ethyl ester HCl (BAEE)\u00a0is a\u00a0chemically modified version\u00a0that’s starting to show\u00a0up in some supplements, such as VPX NO Shotgun and MuscleTech NaNO Vapor.<\/p>\n

Ok,\u00a0so what?\u00a0 Why should you care about BAEE?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Well, if you’re into bodybuilding, you may\u00a0recall seeing something about it on\u00a0some of the\u00a0forums late last year.\u00a0 A statement from\u00a0 Dr. Roger Harris\u00a0 made the rounds, questioning its presence in certain bodybuilding supplements and raising questions about potential toxicity<\/a>: <\/p>\n

“We have seen a few alarming cases of beta alanine ethyl ester HCl advertised for sale on the internet…Without genuine clinical safety trials, which can take decades, to investigate safety for humans and possible long term side effects, it is not possible to say that this ethyl ester derivative is safe.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, I have enormous respect for Dr. Harris, but I’m constrained to point out\u00a0he’s not a disinterested 3rd party with respect\u00a0to\u00a0beta-alanine\u00a0(He owns US Patent 6,680,294<\/a>).\u00a0\u00a0This is reflected in his choice of words like “alarming.” \u00a0As I posted on the BBR forum at the time, a lack of information is exactly that: it means “unknown” – not “unsafe.”\u00a0 So I felt (and still feel) that there was very little justification for the hysteria.<\/p>\n

So why spill more words on the issue?\u00a0 Because – objective or not –\u00a0Dr. Harris made a\u00a0pretty valid point:<\/p>\n

“The belief is that by altering the structure the chemical becomes more easily absorbed – however beta alanine (the real thing already is easily absorbed).”<\/em><\/p>\n

This is quite true.\u00a0 As Paul’s discusses in his review of H+ Blocker<\/a>, beta-alanine is quite effective as is.\u00a0 Why solve a problem that doesn’t exist?<\/p>\n

In my view, it’s really about marketing.\u00a0 “Science” sells, and leading supplement companies\u00a0compete with each other to appear innovative and cutting edge.\u00a0 The “ethyl ester” craze really got rolling after creatine ethyl ester (CEE)\u00a0was introduced.\u00a0\u00a0Thanks to CEE’s success, we now have ingredients like\u00a0leucine ethyl ester, taurine ethyl ester, norvaline ethyl ester, etc. as well.\u00a0\u00a0It was just a matter of time before a “beta alanine ethyl ester” hit the market.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So\u00a0score\u00a0one for Dr. Harris.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the questions he raised about BAEE\u00a0pertain to a lot<\/strong> of bodybuilding supplement ingredients.<\/p>\n

When I review supplements, I naturally focus on effectiveness, as most\u00a0readers want to know if\u00a0various products work as claimed.\u00a0 Safety\u00a0generally isn’t\u00a0covered, unless there’s some information that indicates it might be a problem.\u00a0 A lack of information, however, can’t be taken to mean something is perfectly safe.\u00a0 As the saying goes, absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence.<\/p>\n

Thus, while I’m not all that concerned about BAEE per se, I find the trend it represents somewhat worrisome.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Adding chemically modified ingredients to supplement\u00a0formulas for the hell of it increases\u00a0the risk that – eventually – one or more will cause problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What all consumers should understand, is that under current US law, dietary supplements are not tightly regulated.\u00a0 As the FDA explains<\/a>:<\/p>\n