Ingestion of Beta-alanine Effects in Well-trained Tennis Players (BETA_TENNIS)

Ingestion of Beta-alanine Improves Neuromuscular Performance in Well-trained Tennis. A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Beta-alanine is considered as ergogenic aids with good to strong evidence for improving sports performance in specific sports context scenarios. However, most of the studies has been realized in endurance, with limited evidence in intermittent sports, especially in racket sports. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the effects of 4-weeks ingestion of beta-alanine on neuromuscular performance in well-trained tennis players.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Beta-alanine; Placebo
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Beta-alanine supplementation

Detailed Description

Fourteen tennis players (23.3 ±3.7 years) between 50-250 national tennis ranking participated in this study. Participants were randomly divided into two groups that realized a neuromuscular battery after beta-alanine (4.8 gr/daily during 4-weeks) or placebo (i.e., fructose) (4.8 grams/daily during 4-weeks). Before and after the supplementation period tennis performed a neuromuscular test battery in a tennis court consisted in different test such as; serve velocity, countermovement jump, isometric handgrip strength, 10-m sprint, modified 5-0-5 agility test and repeated sprint ability. After 48 h of the realization of neuromuscular test battery, tennis players performed VO2max consumption test (i.e., treadmill).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 14
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Madrid
    • Pozuelo De Alarcón, Madrid, Spain, 28223
      • Universidad Francisco de Vitoria

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 35 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Well-trained tennis players, between 18-35 years old (50-200 between tennis ranking)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Suffering from any chronic pathology or an injury in the month prior to the investigation.
• Intolerance to beta-alanine ingestion
• Amateur tennis players.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Beta-alanine supplementation; Beta-alanine (4.8 grams) pills (Crown Nutrition, Haro, Spain) in four doses each day during a 4-week supplementation period.	Dietary supplement: Beta-alanine supplementation; In a randomized order, two groups (n=7) was randomly assigned to beta-alanine and placebo during a 4-weeks period; Other Names: Placebo supplementation
Placebo Comparator: Placebo supplementation; Placebo (4.8 grams) pills (Crown Nutrition, Haro, Spain) contain fructose (300mg) and excipients (1200 mg) such as cellulose, calcium phosphate, silicon dioxide and magnesium stearate in four doses each day during a 4-week supplementation period.	Dietary supplement: Beta-alanine supplementation; In a randomized order, two groups (n=7) was randomly assigned to beta-alanine and placebo during a 4-weeks period; Other Names: Placebo supplementation

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Repeated sprint ability test.	Infrared photocells system (Microgate, Italy)	4-weeks
VO2 max treadmill test	Using VO2 max analyzer (Ergostik, Geratherm Respiratory, Ergostik, Geratherm, Germany)	4-weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Serve velocity	Stroke velocity radar gun (Radar Pocket, South Korea)	4-weeks
Contermovement Jump	Contact Jump (Chronojump, Spain)	4-weeks
10m sprint	Infrared photocells system (Microgate, Italy)	4-weeks
Isometric handgrip strength	Hand held dynamometer (Takei, Japan)	4-weeks
Modified agility test 5-0-5	Infrared photocells system (Microgate, Italy)	4-weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Universidad Francisco de Vitoria
• Collaborators: University of Seville; University of Greenwich
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Iñaki Quintana García-Milla, PhD, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 4, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 16, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 16, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): June 22, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 22, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 16, 2022
• Last Verified: June 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: UFran_Vitoria

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No