Next Article in Journal
Vitamin D Status and Behavioral Impulsivity in Anorexia Nervosa: Insights from a Longitudinal Study
Previous Article in Journal
Correction: Khongrum et al. Safety and Effects of Lactobacillus paracasei TISTR 2593 Supplementation on Improving Cholesterol Metabolism and Atherosclerosis-Related Parameters in Subjects with Hypercholesterolemia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Nutrients 2023, 15, 661
Previous Article in Special Issue
Selenium-Enriched Soybean Peptides as Novel Organic Selenium Compound Supplements: Inhibition of Occupational Air Pollution Exposure-Induced Apoptosis in Lung Epithelial Cells
 
 
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Comment

Comment on Cesak et al. Carnosine and Beta-Alanine Supplementation in Human Medicine: Narrative Review and Critical Assessment. Nutrients 2023, 15, 1770

1
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
2
Alimentarius Co., Ltd., Brighton BN3 8LE, UK
Nutrients 2024, 16(15), 2522; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16152522 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 29 May 2024 / Accepted: 29 July 2024 / Published: 2 August 2024
The paper by Cesak et al. 2023 [1], titled ‘Carnosine and Beta-Alanine Supplementa-tion in Human Medicine: Narrative Review and Critical Assessment’, thoroughly re-views the importance of carnosine in human health. However, I was surprised to read that asparagus, green peas and white mushrooms were considered dietary sources of carnosine. To substantiate this claim, Cesak et al. cite the paper of Jones et al. 2011 [2]; however, these authors only reported the carnosine concentration of meat, fish and shellfish. In animals, carnosine’s imidazole ring has a well-recognised role in intracellular acid buffering [3,4]. In contrast, plants and fungi use very different intracellular systems to counter the challenges of low pH [5,6]. Even though the imidazole group of the amino acid histidine facilitates intracellular pH regulation in plants [5,7], in 2013 it was reported that histidine dipetides (which include carnosine) had never been detected in plants, fungi or other eukaryotes [8]. In light of this, could Cesak et al. provide a reference demonstrating the presence of carnosine in asparagus, green peas and white mushrooms?

Conflicts of Interest

The author has previously developed commercial food supplements containing beta-alanine for Alimentarius Ltd. These products were specifically formulated to increase muscle carnosine synthesis in humans.

References

  1. Cesak, O.; Vostalova, J.; Vidlar, A.; Bastlova, P.; Student, V., Jr. Carnosine and Beta-Alanine Supplementation in Human Medicine: Narrative Review and Critical Assessment. Nutrients 2023, 15, 1770. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  2. Jones, G.; Smith, M.; Harris, R. Imidazole dipeptide content of dietary sources commonly consumed within the British diet. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 2011, 70, E363. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  3. Harris, R.C.; Marlin, D.J.; Dunnett, M.; Snow, D.H.; Hultman, E. Muscle buffering capacity and dipeptide content in the thoroughbred horse, greyhound dog and man. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A Comp. Physiol. 1990, 97, 249–251. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  4. Tallon, M.J.; Harris, R.C.; Boobis, L.H.; Fallowfield, J.L.; Wise, J.A. The carnosine content of vastus lateralis is elevated in resistance-trained bodybuilders. J. Strength. Cond. Res. 2005, 19, 725–729. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  5. Felle, H.H. pH regulation in anoxic plants. Ann. Bot. 2005, 96, 519–532. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [PubMed Central]
  6. Kane, P.M. Proton Transport and pH Control in Fungi. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 2016, 892, 33–68. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [PubMed Central]
  7. Ingle, R.A. Histidine biosynthesis. Arabidopsis. Book 2011, 9, e0141. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [PubMed Central]
  8. Boldyrev, A.A.; Aldini, G.; Derave, W. Physiology and pathophysiology of carnosine. Physiol. Rev. 2013, 93, 1803–1845. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Child, R. Comment on Cesak et al. Carnosine and Beta-Alanine Supplementation in Human Medicine: Narrative Review and Critical Assessment. Nutrients 2023, 15, 1770. Nutrients 2024, 16, 2522. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16152522

AMA Style

Child R. Comment on Cesak et al. Carnosine and Beta-Alanine Supplementation in Human Medicine: Narrative Review and Critical Assessment. Nutrients 2023, 15, 1770. Nutrients. 2024; 16(15):2522. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16152522

Chicago/Turabian Style

Child, Robert. 2024. "Comment on Cesak et al. Carnosine and Beta-Alanine Supplementation in Human Medicine: Narrative Review and Critical Assessment. Nutrients 2023, 15, 1770" Nutrients 16, no. 15: 2522. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16152522

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Article metric data becomes available approximately 24 hours after publication online.
Back to TopTop