Hey Strat!
Do you know why beta alanine gives some people "the tingles" while others don't experience them?
...and yes, I know, everybody responds differently to things
Just wondering if there's a particular reason that some do and some don't...
As you know, the tingling (also called paraesthesia) or itching of the skin is a normal body reaction to the consumption of beta alanine, once the compound has been absorbed into the blood stream. The precise mechanism here is not fully known. However, there are two theories.
1) The tingling is initiated by beta alanine binding to nerve receptors. These nerve receptors are excited, making them fire off at random. The situation of many of these nerve cells just below the surface of the skin creates a prickling,
pins-and-needles, sensation at certain spots on the skin. 2) As a nitric-oxide potentiator (not generator), Beta Alanine magnifies the action of nitric oxide, making its effects stronger and longer-lasting. Consequently, after the consumption of beta alanine, when the body produces nitric oxide, its effects will be amplified, making us feel the extra blood flowing through the capillaries close to the surface of the skin.
The intensity of the tingling is dose-dependent and ceases after serum beta-alanine levels are saturated, and should not be a cause for worry.
So it would appear that whether or not we get tingles from beta alanine might depend on our cellular saturation levels of the compound, and/or our receptor sensitivity to excitation by beta alanine.
