Carnosine
Carnosine is a dipeptide of the amino acids beta-alanine and histidine that is abundant in muscle. The body makes it and also gets it from food.
Also listed as L-Carnosine
Does it help memory?
A 2026 review found that plain L-carnosine usually did not improve cognitive tests over placebo. Some mixtures with anserine improved delayed recall in older adults, with low-certainty evidence. Those findings leave a useful research lead, but cannot identify carnosine as the ingredient responsible. 1
A blood-sugar signal worth following
A meta-analysis of four trials involving 184 participants found lower HbA1c, a measure used to assess longer-term blood sugar. Fasting glucose, insulin resistance and cholesterol did not significantly improve. The small evidence base and differences between studies make this a preliminary result, rather than a settled diabetes treatment. 2
Effects by health goal
Open an effect to see the studies behind its rating. Bars show the size of the effect; the letter grades the evidence.
Weight Management1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Longevity2 effects
No study is linked to this rating.
No study is linked to this rating.
Organ Function2 effects
No study is linked to this rating.
No study is linked to this rating.
Cognition3 effects
Cardiovascular2 effects
No study is linked to this rating.
No study is linked to this rating.
Hair & Skin2 effects
No study is linked to this rating.
No study is linked to this rating.
Bone & Joint1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Fitness1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Energy1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Other effects1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Sources
- Effect of carnosine supplementation on lipid profile, fasting blood glucose, HbA1C and insulin resistance Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2020