Preferred Name
Foster Smith
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
ORCID
0009-0002-2694-4643
Date of Graduation
5-15-2025
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Department of Kinesiology
First Advisor
Chris Womack
Second Advisor
Micheal Saunders
Third Advisor
Eric Magrum
Abstract
Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of β-alanine supplementation on the inflammation response, as measured by Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, and subsequent muscle function in resistance-trained individuals following a single bout of resistance exercise.
Methods: Fourteen resistance-trained subjects were recruited for a double-blind, between-group experiment. Following a two-week washout period (if needed), subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 6.8g of β-alanine daily or a placebo. After the supplementation period, subjects performed a standardized exhaustive squat protocol (10 sets of 10 repetitions at 60% of their estimated 1RM). Venous blood samples were collected pre-exercise, 24-hours post, and 72-hours post to assess plasma IL-6 levels using an enzyme-linked immunosorbancy assay. Muscle function was assessed via vertical jump height and ground reaction force, and peak and mean isokinetic leg extension torque at the same time points. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures was used for statistical analysis.
Results: Statistics showed that IL-6 levels increased 24 hours post-exercise and declined by 72 hours in both groups. A significant main time effect for IL-6 levels was observed (p = 0.028), but no significant time*group interaction (p = 0.573) was detected. Peak vertical jump scores were numerically higher in the β-alanine group across all time points, but no significant main effect of time (p = 0.368) or interaction effect (p = 0.307) was observed. Similarly, no significant time or interaction effects were found for ground reaction force. A significant main time effect was observed for peak isokinetic leg extension torque (p = 0.039), with a decrease at 24 hours and a return towards baseline at 72 hours. However, no significant time-by-group interaction was found for peak (p = 0.165) or mean (p = 0.893) isokinetic leg extension torque.
Conclusion: While the exhaustive resistance exercise protocol elicited a time-dependent change in IL-6 levels and peak isokinetic leg extension torque, β-alanine supplementation did not significantly alter the post-exercise inflammation response or subsequent muscle function in resistance-trained individuals compared to a placebo. This suggests that in this specific context, β-alanine's influence on these recovery markers following an acute bout of resistance exercise is minimal.
