Heavy training + betaine = more testosterone

Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "

04.05.2022

A demanding training schedule can lower athletes' testosterone levels, which can compromise muscle recovery. Betaine supplementation may prevent this, according to a study in which young football players were used as test subjects.

Heavy training + betaine = more testosterone

Study

Hadi Nobari, from the Universidad de Extremadura in Spain, divided 29 young soccer players - their average age was 15 - into 2 groups. For 14 weeks, the players in one group took a placebo every day, while the players in the other group took a daily supplement that provided 2 grams of betaine.

The players in both groups had a similar training schedule.

Results
Betaine administration had no significant effect on the sports performance or body composition of the players. However, betaine did increase their testosterone level.

As the suplementation period progressed, testosterone levels in the placebo group [PG] dropped - probably as a result of the training. In the [BG] supplementation group, however, the testosterone level increased. Because testosterone stimulates muscle growth, this may mean that football players recover better in the longer term by supplementing with betaine.

Click on the table for a larger version.

Conclusion
"Betaine supplementation may be a useful nutritional strategy to offset the development of nonfunctional over-reaching state, marked by decrements in performance", writes Nobari.

"More research is necessary to determine if the increases in anabolic hormones are sustainable for longer than 14 weeks of supplementation, and if a longer supplementation period would translate to meaningful physiological adaptations."

Source:
J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021 Mar 4;18(1):20.

More:
Vitamin D3 supplementation makes soccer training more effective 14.04.2018
EPA-rich fish oil boosts footballers' endurance capacity 15.01.2010
L-Carnitine gives football players the edge 21.11.2013
Glucosamine for soccer players 05.01.2011

Archives:
Boosting Testosterone
Betaine
Soccer



Two weeks supplementing with betaine \| More muscles, faster sprint If physically active students take 2.5 grams of betaine every day for two weeks, their muscle mass increases by 1.5 kilos and their ability to move explosively after an exhausting exercise session improves significantly.	Betaine stimulates muscle growth via IGF-1 Italian researchers believe that betaine induces muscle cells to make more receptors for IGF-1.	Betaine may make not only muscles but also bone tissue stronger Betaine, a bodybuilding supplement, which has been shown in small studies to have an anabolic effect on muscle tissue, may also help to strengthen bones.