Orotic acid came on to the fitness scene in 2004, but for some reason or another is not in a lot of products. Orotic acid(OA) is a truly remarkable supplement. In the body, OA is an intermediate in the pyrimidine pathway which is responsible for making nucleotides(like in DNA/RNA). As far back as the 1960's it was predicted to have ergogenic aid for exercise bc of its unique 2 pathways. Firstly, OA has been shown to increase ATP via its role in the Ribose pathway for ATP production. This means it actually aides in the production of ATP, where creatine just acts as an ATP recycler.

OA provides the direct precursor to phosphoribosylpyrophosphate(PRPP)which in turn helps produce nucleotides. OA also aides in the production of elevated glycogen stores, which in turn enhances the capacity for ATP resynthesis during exercise. Studies show increases in ATP by 121% in muscle tissue nucleotides. But we're not done there! OA also has been shown to dramatically increase muscle carnosine levels. Beta alanine can do that too, so why the big deal? Well, during exercise, large amounts of BA are used to repair RNA instead of making carnosine. One study showed a significant increase in carnosine, and 2 studied using elite athletes given 3g of Orotic acid for 4 weeks. Time to exhaustion was improved by 21% and significantly reduced markers for stress. Overall, I think this is a superior supplement to add to your regime, and possibly replace beta alanine.