Condition
Basketball performance
Basketball is a fast, stop-start sport that asks the body for repeated sprints, jumps and quick changes of direction across four quarters. Among supplements, the evidence is strongest for creatine and caffeine, which research has linked to better power, sprint performance and alertness, and caffeine has a meta-analysis behind it. The other options have moderate evidence at best, and a tiny ten-person study of alanylglutamine found less fatigue.
Sources: PMID 29546641
- Supplements studied
- 2
- Graded outcomes
- 2
- Trials
- 1
- People studied
- 20
Evidence by supplement
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatigue Symptoms Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 10 people | |||
| Heart Rate No effect | NoneNo effect | 10 people | ||||
| Power Output | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 10 people | |||
Studies that measured power output | ||||||
| Hydration (Total Body Water) | Improves (the measure goes up) | 10 people | ||||
| Reaction Time | Improves (the measure goes up) | 10 people | ||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaerobic Exercise Performance | Improves (the measure goes up) | 3 studies | 86 people | |||
Studies that measured anaerobic exercise performance
| ||||||
Key findings
- Fatigue SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)
- Heart Rate
The Basketball Performance Support protocol
2 primary supplements · 7 supporting supplements
- Creatine Monohydrate3–5 g daily (loading optional: 20 g/day for 5–7 days)
- Caffeine3–6 mg/kg 30–60 minutes before games/intense training
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Studies cited
33 studies from PubMed
- Beta-Alanine and High-Intensity Exercise Capacity: A Systematic Review
- Beta-Alanine Supplementation in Older Adults: A Systematic Review
- Beta-Alanine Effects on Tactical Performance: A Review
- International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Beta-Alanine
- Effects of Beta-Alanine on Carnosine Content and Exercise Performance
- Safety and Efficacy of Beta-Alanine Supplementation: A Review
- Beta-Alanine Supplementation and Exercise Performance: A Meta-Analysis
- Paresthesia from Beta-Alanine: Mechanisms and Mitigation
- Improvement of intestinal permeability with alanyl-glutamine in HIV patients: a randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial
- Examination of the efficacy of acute L-alanyl-L-glutamine ingestion during hydration stress in endurance exercise
- L-alanyl-L-glutamine ingestion maintains performance during a competitive basketball game
- L-glutamine absorption is enhanced after ingestion of L-alanylglutamine compared with the free amino acid or wheat protein
- Effects of 28 days of beta-alanine and creatine monohydrate supplementation on aerobic power, ventilatory and lactate thresholds, and time to exhaustion
- Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis
- The effect of beta-alanine supplementation on power performance during repeated sprint activity
- beta-Alanine supplementation augments muscle carnosine content and attenuates fatigue during repeated isokinetic contraction bouts in trained sprinters
- Effect of Beta-Alanine Supplementation on Maximal Intensity Exercise in Trained Young Male Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- Beta-alanine and the hormonal response to exercise
- Effect of beta-alanine supplementation on the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA) during treadmill running: Pre/post 2 treatment experimental design
- Effects of beta-alanine supplementation on the onset of neuromuscular fatigue and ventilatory threshold in women
- Effects of beta-alanine supplementation and high-intensity interval training on endurance performance and body composition in men; a double-blind trial
- Effects of twenty-eight days of beta-alanine and creatine monohydrate supplementation on the physical working capacity at neuromuscular fatigue threshold
- Effects of beta-alanine supplementation on body composition: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Six weeks of high-intensity interval training with and without beta-alanine supplementation for improving cardiovascular fitness in women
- Important role of muscle carnosine in rowing performance
- β-alanine supplementation to improve exercise capacity and performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Effects of Beta-Alanine Supplementation on Physical Performance in Aerobic-Anaerobic Transition Zones: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- Effects of β-alanine supplementation on performance and body composition in collegiate wrestlers and football players
- Short-duration beta-alanine supplementation increases training volume and reduces subjective feelings of fatigue in college football players
- Effects of beta-alanine supplementation on Yo-Yo test performance: A meta-analysis.
- The effect of beta-alanine supplementation on neuromuscular fatigue in elderly (55-92 Years): a double-blind randomized study
- Effect of Carnosine or β-Alanine Supplementation on Markers of Glycemic Control and Insulin Resistance in Humans and Animals: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
- Fourteen weeks of β-alanine supplementation and HIIT did not improve serum BDNF concentrations and Stroop test performance.