tuneTypical Dose
1000-3000 mg
Amino Acid
Alanine
L-alanine
Evidence TierDWADA NOT PROHIBITED
watchEffect Window
No established isolated effect window
check_circleCompliance
WADA NOT PROHIBITED
Overview
Clinical Summary
Alanine is an amino acid or related metabolite involved in protein turnover and cellular signaling. It is taken to support exercise performance, recovery, or specific metabolic pathways.
Alanine is metabolically important, but isolated oral supplementation has almost no direct human outcome data. Its clearest role is nutritional context rather than a standalone nootropic or performance aid.
Glucose-alanine cycle support and nitrogen transfer. Direct nootropic efficacy as monotherapy remains unproven.
Outcomes
What This Is Expected To Influence
Primary Outcomes
- No validated standalone cognitive or productivity improvement evidence
- No validated standalone performance improvement evidence
Secondary Outcomes
- Metabolic context support within amino-acid formulas
- Tolerability outcomes primarily GI-related
Safety
Contraindications and Interactions
Contraindications
- Renal insufficiency
- Severe hepatic disease
- Inherited amino-acid metabolism disorders
Side effects
- Mild GI upset
- Bloating/nausea
Interactions
- High-complexity amino-acid stacks
- Poly-supplement GI burdens
Avoid if
- CKD
- Pregnancy without clinician supervision
- Unstable metabolic illness
Evidence
Study-level References
alanine-SRC-001Review
Sourceopen_in_newFelig P. The glucose-alanine cycle. Metabolism. 1973;22(2). doi:10.1016/0026-0495(73)90269-2. PMID:4567003.
Population: Review of human and animal studies on the glucose-alanine metabolic cycle
Dose protocol: Review of the glucose-alanine cycle and amino acid metabolism during exercise and fasting states.
Key findings: Establishes alanine's metabolic shuttle role between muscle and liver but provides no evidence for standalone cognitive or performance benefits from isolated supplementation.
Notes: Foundational review of alanine metabolism. No controlled trials of isolated L-alanine for performance or cognition were available at time of publication, and none have emerged since.
Paper content
This review describes the glucose-alanine cycle, a metabolic pathway in which alanine produced by muscle during amino acid transamination is transported to the liver for gluconeogenesis, with the resulting glucose returning to muscle. The cycle plays a key role in nitrogen transport and glucose homeostasis.
alanine-SRC-002Controlled clinical study
Sourceopen_in_newBodamer OA, Halliday D, Leonard JV. The effects of l-alanine supplementation in late-onset glycogen storage disease type II. Neurology. 2000;55(5):710. doi:10.1212/wnl.55.5.710. PMID:10980742.
Population: Five subjects with late-onset GSD-II and seven healthy controls
Dose protocol: Oral L-alanine supplementation in five patients with late-onset GSD-II and seven healthy controls.
Key findings: L-alanine reduced protein turnover and catabolism in GSD-II patients. The supplement was tolerated at oral doses without reported serious adverse effects.
Notes: One of the few human studies using oral L-alanine as a standalone supplement. Small sample size limits generalizability but supports basic tolerability.
Paper content
L-alanine supplementation in late-onset GSD-II patients significantly reduced resting energy expenditure, leucine flux, and leucine oxidation compared to healthy controls. These findings indicate that l-alanine reduces protein turnover and catabolism in GSD-II, suggesting a potential therapeutic role in managing this progressive myopathy.