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

10.11.2021

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.

Study
Hunter Waldman, an exercise scientist at the University of North Alabama, divided 23 athletic female students, who exercised for 45 minutes or more at a time at least three times a week, into 2 groups. For 2 weeks, half of the students took 2.5 grams of betaine every day, while the students in the other group received a placebo.

Waldman used a DuPont product. This company did not sponsor the study, however. The study was funded by Waldmans University.

Before and after supplementation, the students had to cycle to exhaustion according to a protocol in which the intensity to be delivered increased each time. Then, after a short cooldown, the students on the bike were asked to make three 10-second sprints.

Results
Betaine supplementation increased the power that the women could develop during the short final sprints. If you had to translate that to sports performance in the real world, they got faster.

It was also remarkable that the fat-free mass [read: muscle mass] of the women increased by one and a half kilos. In a period of two weeks, such an increase is not bad at all.

Fat mass
In quite a few studies, betaine stimulates the breakdown of fat mass. The effect is strong enough to call betaine a weight loss supplement.

In this study, however, the researchers found no evidence of an effect on fat metabolism or fat mass.

Source:
J Diet Suppl. 2021 Sep 3;1-17. doi: 10.1080/19390211.2021.1973644.

More:
More betaine in your diet, more muscle mass 19.07.2020
Betaine & choline | Body recompositioning nutrients that protect against cancer 13.07.2020
More choline and betaine means more muscles and less fat 16.03.2018

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Betaine
Sprints

Betaine stimulates muscle growth via IGF-1 Italian researchers did in-vitro experiments with muscle cells.	Sprint faster with betaine Recreational athletes can improve their sprinting capacity by taking a daily 2.5 g betaine for a week.	The anabolic effect of betaine Athletes who take 2.5 g betaine daily and do intensive training increase their body's anabolic response to the workout.