If you’re a regular gym-goer, you’ve probably dabbled in pre-workout supplementation, and if you’re anything like me, were a bit curious about the first time it made you itch. My first tub of pre-workout didn’t make me itch, but when it ran out, I of course had to go buy more. But since I really didn’t know anything about it at the time, I grabbed the first brightly colored tub I saw off the shelf and went about my workout. About 10 minutes after drinking it, my skin started to tingggllleee. Was it just the brand I bought? Was there something in it that I’m allergic to?
After getting home, I researched a bit (yes, I should have done this before ingesting unknown and unregulated substances, I know. Side note: the FDA doesn’t regulate supplements – do you think they should?) Turns out, the bright tub I bought contained Beta-alanine while the first tub I had gone through did not. So, what the heck is Beta-alanine and why was it making me itchy?
Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid added to a lot of supplements geared towards athletes and the fitness industry. It helps buffer lactic acid in the muscles, which in turn, helps to reduce muscle fatigue, leading to the ability to perform longer and more explosive workouts. Okay, yeah, makes sense, but how is it any different from supplementing with bicarb to offset lactic acid? Alka-Seltzer never made me overthink my medical history in the middle of a gym.
Normally, itching comes from things like a histamine response. That’s why mosquito bites itch so badly; your body reacts to the bug’s saliva and sends histamine to the area as an immune response. However, Beta-alanine induces a similar itch response, independent of histamine. It works through a G-protein-coupled receptor that is only expressed by a certain population of sensory neurons that only innervate the skin. That’s why your skin gets itchy, but there’s no other signs of allergic reaction. One study looked at this pathway to see if the Beta-alanine itch was related to histamine response and found that they were completely separate, leading to further questions about treatment of itches that do not respond to anti-histamines. Normal bicarb supplements, like Alka-Seltzer, don't bind to the GPCR and therefore do not illicit the same itching response from the neurons.
So next time you dry scoop your Beta-alanine pre-workout and feel the tingle, rest assured that it’s completely normal. And if you haven’t tried it, I’d highly recommend it at least once (maybe consult a physician first, I am not liable.) It makes me feel like I could run a marathon, but some people do not like the feeling.
Also! Please do your research about any supplements you are thinking about taking BEFORE taking them.
Cleveland Clinic. (2025, February 13). Bug bites and stings: Symptoms & treatment (first aid). Retrieved November 6, 2025, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/bug-bites
Liu, Q., Sikand, P., Ma, C., Tang, Z., Han, L., Li, Z., Sun, S., LaMotte, R. H., & Dong, X. (2012). Mechanisms of itch evoked by β-alanine. The Journal of neuroscience: the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 32(42), 14532–14537. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3509-12.2012
This is an interesting read Shannon! After dissecting a bit more, it turns out that Beta-Alanine and Taurine are competitive substrates for the same transportation site. Taurine is an amino acid that is found in dairy and some meat products. Some pre-workout powders include Taurine. But it's quite interesting since Taurine does not activate certain neurons compared to Beta-Alanine.
ReplyDeleteThere was a study in mice and the usage of taurine or beta-alanine and its effects on behavior and growth. Some results that were found included: mice that were treated with beta-alanine had lower body weight, but beta-alanine caused a decrease in taurine concentration in the brain. In conclusion, the milk taurine had an important role in regulation of growth and behavior on the offspring (Nishigawa et al., 2018). I do agree that it is best to research what supplements and components are being used in the things that we are ingesting.
I'm glad that you're okay though and I will keep in mind that B-alanine may make you itch!
Nishigawa, T., Nagamachi, S., Chowdhury, V. S., Yasuo, S., & Furuse, M. (2018). Taurine and β-alanine intraperitoneal injection in lactating mice modifies the growth and behavior of offspring. Biochemical and biophysical research communications, 495(2), 2024–2029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.12.063
Oh my goodness this exact thing happened to me! My sister got a pre workout and I was so scared of the tingly feeling that I had asked her if it made her itchy and she said no. So I, the trusting sister I am, just took the pre-workout without double checking and headed to the gym. when I was on the stair master I felt a static all over my body and had her send me a picture of the pre workout and it said Beta-alanine in the ingredients. But since she hadn't felt the tingle I wanted to see if theres a difference in how it affects people. I found a source that talked about the beta-alanine can activate the sensory neurons via the MrgprD receptors which is was creates the itching and tingling feeling. Since it has been kinked to a certain receptor that can mean that not everyone will experience the same sensation. It basically depends on the receptor expression and sensitivity.
ReplyDeletereferences:
Liu Q, Sikand P, Ma C, Tang Z, Han L, Li Z, Sun S, LaMotte RH, Dong X. Mechanisms of itch evoked by β-alanine. J Neurosci. 2012 Oct 17;32(42):14532-7. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3509-12.2012. PMID: 23077038; PMCID: PMC3491570.