The Benefits and Possible Side Effects
of Histidine Supplement Usage

L-Histidine (or just Histidine for short) is considered to be a semi essential amino acid since it is not produced in sufficient quantities in children and the elderly, but does not require outside consumption in healthy adults.

The benefits supplementation for athletes in not clear at this point. Until recently, it was not considered to be particularly beneficial for athletes, and some research has suggested that high levels of this amino might be detrimental to both mental and physical health.

However, recent discoveries have suggested that large levels of Histidine may indeed promote muscle growth indirectly since it is a precursor to Carnosine.

The amino acid Histidine is vital to the functioning of the nervous and circulatory system, and also plays a key role in the immune response and sexual arousal. Most healthy adults obtain enough through proper diet. However, it is possible to run short during extraordinary situations such as extreme illness or an intense surgical procedure.

Histidine has also proven to be useful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. So, given the health benefits, combined with the fact that healthy adults generally receive enough of it without turning to supplements, the next question that needs to be answered is whether it is useful for the athlete to take a Histidine supplement.

Until recently, the answer was no. Histidine on its own has no performance enhancing qualities that would justify a supplement. Additionally, there are some possible health problems that could be associated with excess blood Histidine levels, which would contraindicate the supplemental use.

Recent studies have revealed that, while Histidine has no performance enhancing benefits of its own, the chemical compound Carnosine, which is composed of Histidine and another amino acid, is extremely beneficial for both athletes and bodybuilders.

It is well known that our muscles become fatigued for a number of reasons but one of the biggest culprits is the buildup of lactic acid and other acid substances that are formed during anaerobic respiration. The key to maintaining peak performance is to reduce the negative effects of acid buildup. Carnosine has been shown to be a key component of certain proteins that effectively buffer the harmful effects of acid buildup in the muscles.

While Carnosine itself can be taken via supplements, studies have suggested that it is possible to achieve higher Carnosine concentrations by taking Histidine and allowing the body to create its own Carnosine.

The jury is still out on the absolute effectiveness of taking Histidine supplements. By itself, it has few properties that would make it an attractive choice for performance enhancement or musculature growth and some studies have tied high concentrations to certain mental disorders including Schizophrenia and anxiety.

However, recent research indicates that Histidine may be useful to athletes and bodybuilders by raising Carnosine levels thereby allowing the muscles to work longer without incurring fatigue.

More Amino Acid Supplements

Read more on BCAA - Branched Chain Amino Acids for muscle building.

• Alanine
• Arginine
• Aspartic Acid
• Carnitine
• Cysteine
• Dopa
• Glutamic Acid
• Glutathione
• Histidine
• Isoleucine*
• Leucine *
• Lysine
• Methionine
• Ornithine
• Phenylalanine
• Taurine
• Threonine
• Tryptophan
• Tyrosine
• Valine *