Effects Of Creatine Supplementation Research Articles

Effect of creatine supplementation during resistance training on lean tissue mass and muscular strength in older adults: a meta-analysis.

The loss of muscle mass and strength with aging results in significant functional impairment. Creatine supplementation has been used in combination with resistance training as a strategy for increasing lean tissue mass and muscle strength in older adults, but results across studies are equivocal. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of creatine supplementation during resistance training in older adults with lean tissue mass, chest press strength, and leg press strength as outcomes by searching PubMed and SPORTDiscus databases. Twenty-two studies were included in our meta-analysis with 721 participants (both men and women; with a mean age of 57–70 years across studies) randomized to creatine supplementation or placebo during resistance training 2–3 days/week for 7–52 weeks. Creatine supplementation resulted in greater increases in lean tissue mass (mean difference =1.37 kg [95% CI =0.97–1.76]; p<0.00001), chest press strength (standardized mean difference [SMD] =0.35 [0.16–0.53]; p=0.0002), and leg press strength (SMD =0.24 [0.05–0.43]; p=0.01). A number of mechanisms exist by which creatine may increase lean tissue mass and muscular strength. These are included in a narrative review in the discussion section of this article. In summary, creatine supplementation increases lean tissue mass and upper and lower body muscular strength during resistance training of older adults, but potential mechanisms by which creatine exerts these positive effects have yet to be evaluated extensively.

Erratum: Kilduff et al. (2004).

In this article by Kilduff LP, Georgiades E, James N, et al., "The Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Cardiovascular, Metabolic, and Thermoregulatory Responses During Exercise in the Heat in Endurance-Trained Humans," in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 14(4), https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.14.4.443, an author's name was misspelled as Hadjicharlambous. It should read Hadjicharalambous. We apologize for the error. The online version of this article has been corrected.

The Effect of Creatine Supplementation on Upper Body Strength and Immune Function in Men

The Effect of Creatine Supplementation on Upper Body Strength and Immune Function in Men

Effect of Creatine Supplementation on Exercise Performance following a Short-term Low Carbohydrate Diet

Effect of Creatine Supplementation on Exercise Performance following a Short-term Low Carbohydrate Diet

Erratum: Kilduff et al. (2004).

In this article by Kilduff LP, Georgiades E, James N, et al., “The Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Cardiovascular, Metabolic, and Thermoregulatory Responses During Exercise in the Heat in Endurance-Trained Humans,” in Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 14(4), p. 443, http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.14.4.443, an author’s name was misspelled as Hadjicharlambous. It should read Hadjicharalambous. We apologize for the error.

The Effect of Creatine Supplementation with Resistance Training on the Levels of Renin and Aldosterone in Wistar Rats

The Effect of Creatine Supplementation with Resistance Training on the Levels of Renin and Aldosterone in Wistar Rats

Controlled Trial on the Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Muscle Mass and Function among Older Women Subjected to Resistance Training

Older women aged between 60 and 75 years without chronic debilitating diseases, living in the community were invited to participate. All were subjected to supervised resistance training using elastic bands, three times per week during 12 weeks and were randomized to receive, in a double blind fashion, 5 g/day of creatine monohydrate or maltodextrin, during the same period.

Effect of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance and apoptosis in a rat model of amyloid-beta-induced Alzheimer's disease.

Neuroprotective effect of creatine (Cr) against β-amyloid (Aβ) is reported in an in vitro study. This study investigated the effect of Cr supplementation on β-amyloid toxicity in vivo. Thirty two, male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups. During ten weeks of study, control group went through no surgical or dietary intervention. At the 4th week of study Sham group had a hippocampal normal saline injection, while Aβ and AβCr groups had an β-amyloid injection in the hippocampus. AβCr group were fed by Cr diet during the study. After 10 weeks, Morris water maze (MWM) test was administered to measure learning ability and memory retrieval. Animals were sacrificed for TUNEL anti apoptotic assay and staining of amyloid plaques by Thioflavin-T. There was a significant retention deficit among AβCr and Aβ group while the escape latency and the distance traveled to the platform were significantly higher in AβCr group compared to Aβ group. AβCr group had same percent of TUNEL positive neurons compared to Aβ group. Cr supplementation before and after β-amyloid injection into the CA1 area of hippocampus deteriorates the learning and memory impairment of rats and it does not protect neuronal apoptosis caused by β-amyloid.

Creatine supplementation and glycemic control: a systematic review.

The focus of this review is the effects of creatine supplementation with or without exercise on glucose metabolism. A comprehensive examination of the past 16years of study within the field provided a distillation of key data. Both in animal and human studies, creatine supplementation together with exercise training demonstrated greater beneficial effects on glucose metabolism; creatine supplementation itself demonstrated positive results in only a few of the studies. In the animal studies, the effects of creatine supplementation on glucose metabolism were even more distinct, and caution is needed in extrapolating these data to different species, especially to humans. Regarding human studies, considering the samples characteristics, the findings cannot be extrapolated to patients who have poorer glycemic control, are older, are on a different pharmacological treatment (e.g., exogenous insulin therapy) or are physically inactive. Thus, creatine supplementation is a possible nutritional therapy adjuvant with hypoglycemic effects, particularly when used in conjunction with exercise.

Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Athletic Performance and Body Composition after Complex Training

Complex training takes advantage of the phenomenon known as postactivation potentiation (PAP), which is an acute enhancement of jump performance following the heavy resistance exercise (HRE). Numerous of researches have shown fatigue mask the PAP effect in the early stage of recovery and the PAP is an individualized phenomenon. Creatine (Cr) supplementation plays an important role in short term energy metabolism of skeletal muscle. PURPOSE: To examine the effects of Cr supplementation on athletic performance and body composition after 4 weeks of complex training with optimal individual PAP time. METHOD: Thirty two explosive athletes conducted the tests of body composition, counter movement jump (CMJ), 30 m sprint and 1-repetition maximal (1 RM) half squat strength. A matched pair design was used to assign the subjects into creatine group (Cr gr.) or placebo group (Pla gr.) by their maximal muscular strength. Subjects consumed 5 g of Cr or methyl cellulose (Pla gr.) plus 5 g of glucose 4 times per day for 6 days. The 1 RM half squat strength was test again after the supplementation to calculate the weight of HRE in complex training. Meanwhile, subjects ingested 2 g of Cr (or methyl cellulose) plus 2 g of glucose per day till the end of study. Thereafter, complex training (6 sets, 5 RM of half squat and 8 jumps, with optimal individual PAP time for rest) was executed 3 times per week for 4 weeks. Body composition and athletic performance were tested after the training periods. RESULTS: After 4 weeks of training, time for 30 m sprint (Cr gr.: 4.31 ± 0.20 vs. 4.13 ± 0.17 s; Pla gr.: 4.26 ± 0.20 vs. 4.18 ± 0.15 s, p < .05) and 1 RM half squat strength (Cr gr.: 128.43 ±13.75 vs. 180.31 ±17.83 kg; Pla gr.: 127.18 ±17.50 vs. 165.31 ±14.19 kg, p < .05) were significantly improved in both groups. And the strength in Cr gr. was significantly higher than in Pla gr. There were no significant difference in height and peak power of CMJ, body mass, and body fat. CONCLUSION: Cr supplementation improved maximum muscle strength, but no effect on other athletic performance and body composition after 4 weeks of complex training with optimal individual PAP time for rest. Supported by Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan. (Grant No: MOST 102-2410-H-179-002)

The effects of creatine supplementation on striatal neural progenitor cells depend on developmental stage.

Transplantation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) is a promising experimental therapy for Huntington's disease (HD). The variables responsible for the success of this approach, including selection of the optimal developmental stage of the grafted cells, are however largely unknown. Supporting cellular energy metabolism by creatine (Cr) supplementation is a clinically translatable method for improving cell transplantation strategies. The present study aims at investigating differences between early (E14) and late (E18) developmental stages of rat striatal NPCs in vitro. NPCs were isolated from E14 and E18 embryos and cultured for 7days with or without Cr [5mM]. Chronic treatment significantly increased the percentage of GABA-immunoreactive neurons as compared to untreated controls, both in the E14 (170.4±4.7%) and the E18 groups (129.3±9.3%). This effect was greater in E14 cultures (p<0.05). Similarly, short-term treatment for 24h resulted in increased induction (p<0.05) of the GABA-ergic phenotype in E14 (163.0±10.4%), compared to E18 cultures (133.3±9.5%). Total neuronal cell numbers and general viability were not affected by Cr (p>0.05). Protective effects of Cr against a metabolic insult were equal in E14 and E18 NPCs (p>0.05). Cr exposure promoted morphological differentiation of GABA-ergic neurons, including neurite length in both groups (p<0.05), but the number of branching points was increased only in the E18 group (p<0.05). Our results demonstrate that the role of Cr as a GABA-ergic differentiation factor depends on the developmental stage of striatal NPCs, while Cr-mediated neuroprotection is not significantly influenced. These findings have potential implications for optimizing future cell replacement strategies in HD.

The effects of creatine supplementation on thermoregulation and physical (cognitive) performance: a review and future prospects.

Creatine (Cr) is produced endogenously in the liver or obtained exogenously from foods, such as meat and fish. In the human body, 95% of Cr is located in the cytoplasm of skeletal muscle either in a phosphorylated (PCr) or free form (Cr). PCr is essential for the immediate rephosphorylation of adenosine diphosphate to adenosine triphosphate. PCr is rapidly degraded at the onset of maximal exercise at a rate that results in muscle PCr reservoirs being substantially depleted. A well-established strategy followed to increase muscle total Cr content is to increase exogenous intake by supplementation with chemically pure synthetic Cr. Most Cr supplementation regimens typically follow a well-established loading protocol of 20gday(-1) of Cr for approximately 5-7days, followed by a maintenance dose at between 2 and 5gday(-1) for the duration of interest, although more recent studies tend to utilize a 0.3-gkg(-1)day(-1) supplementation regimen. Some studies have also investigated long-term supplementation of up to 1year. Uptake of Cr is enhanced when taken together with carbohydrate and protein and/or while undertaking exercise. Cr supplementation has been shown to augment muscle total Cr content and enhance anaerobic performance; however, there is also some evidence of indirect benefits to aerobic endurance exercise through enhanced thermoregulation. While there is an abundance of data supporting the ergogenic effects of Cr supplementation in a variety of different applications, some individuals do not respond, the efficacy of which is dependent on a number of factors, such as dose, age, muscle fiber type, and diet, although further work in this field is warranted. Cr is increasingly being used in the management of some clinical conditions to enhance muscle mass and strength. The application of Cr in studies of health and disease has widened recently with encouraging results in studies involving sleep deprivation and cognitive performance.

Supplementary Effect of Creatine on Cardiovascular Adaptation and Endurance Performance in Athletes

Creatine has beneficial effect on strength training athletes, but it is not clear whether it has any effect on endurance sport. Present study has been designed to investigate the effect of creatine supplementation on cardiovascular adaptation to sub maximal exercise and endurance performance. A total of 60 male athletes (age range 16-19 years) were selected and randomly divided into experimental group (EG, n = 30) and control group (CG, n = 30) and supplemented with 5 g per day of creatine monohydrate (CrM) and moltodextrine, respectively for 4 weeks. A treadmill test was performed to determine the heart rate responses to sub maximal exercise and maximal endurance performance. Blood lactate was measured at the end of exercise. Body mass, body fat and fat free mass were also measured. Repeated measure ANOA followed by t-test was applied to analyze the data. Significant decreases in heart rates were noted in the experimental group during sub maximal exercise when compared to the control group. Moreover, the maximal endurance time was increase in the experimental group after supplementation of CrM when compared to control group. However, no significant change has been observed in resting heart, maximal heart rate, recovery heart rate, body mass, body fat, fat free mass and blood lactate level.

An Update on Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Performance: A Review

Supplementary creatine, available in many different forms but most commonly monohydrate, is a legal and reportedly safe to consume nutritional ergogenic aid. After searching internationally recognised research databases, this review provides and update on the current literature on the physiological effects of creatine supplementation on performance whilst also discussing the underlying physiology regarding the synthesis and dietary provision of creatine as well as addressing issues of safety and the ethical considerations of usage. Research has shown that regular consumption of supplementary creatine can raise associated content within skeletal muscle. Subsequently, there is an extensive, and still growing, body of the literature supporting the efficacy of creatine supplementation on enhancing exercise performance, exercise tolerance, muscle strength and lean body mass. Moreover, little scientific evidence exists showing any unfavourable effects on individuals who are free from illness and disease. This review consolidates the current literature and provides application to the athletic setting which is purposeful for those choosing to either recommend or consume this nutritional ergogenic aid. At this current time, a traditional loading and maintenance supplementation protocol is advised as contemporary research studies are still to unravel the benefits of alternative approaches.

The Effect of Creatine Supplementation on Body Composition and Bone Health in the Elderly

Introduction: Ageing is associated with body composition changes, including decreases in muscle mass and bone content and increases in fat mass. Creatine supplementation is associated with increases in lean Tissue mass in athletes, leading to increased strength and power. There has been recent interest in if creatine supplementation may have similar effects in older individuals, to offset the changes seen in body composition and increase quality of life. Aims: This review assesses the current literature on whether creatine supplementation in the presence or absence of resistance training improves body composition and bone health in older adults. Results: In terms of resistance training and creatine supplementation in Combination, there is evidence for increased lean body mass following long-term investigations, above that of resistance training with placebo. Studies without resistance training mostly use acute strategies of creatine supplementation and have produced conflicting reports on lean body mass. Body fat percentage does not seem to be altered by either resistance training or creatine supplementation. The literature on creatine supplementation’s effect on bone health is also inconclusive, with some reports showing significant increases in bone mineral density, whereas several others show no effect. Conclusions: Creatine supplementation in the elderly may lead to increased lean body mass, and increased bone strength; however these results are far from conclusive. Dosing and timing supplementation protocols between studies may be responsible for the different results and future studies should concentrate on determining if acute or chronic creatine supplementation has a more beneficial effect on body composition in the elderly.

Effects of Creatine Supplementation in the Concentrations of Creatine Kinase, Creatinine, Urea and Lactate on Male Swimmers

Effects of Creatine Supplementation in the Concentrations of Creatine Kinase, Creatinine, Urea and Lactate on Male Swimmers

Dietary creatine supplementation during pregnancy: a study on the effects of creatine supplementation on creatine homeostasis and renal excretory function in spiny mice.

Recent evidence obtained from a rodent model of birth asphyxia shows that supplementation of the maternal diet with creatine during pregnancy protects the neonate from multi-organ damage. However, the effect of increasing creatine intake on creatine homeostasis and biosynthesis in females, particularly during pregnancy, is unknown. This study assessed the impact of creatine supplementation on creatine homeostasis, body composition, capacity for de novo creatine synthesis and renal excretory function in non-pregnant and pregnant spiny mice. Mid-gestation pregnant and virgin spiny mice were fed normal chow or chow supplemented with 5% w/w creatine for 18days. Weight gain, urinary creatine and electrolyte excretion were assessed during supplementation. At post mortem, body composition was assessed by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, or tissues were collected to assess creatine content and mRNA expression of the creatine synthesising enzymes arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (AGAT) and guanidinoacetate methyltransferase (GAMT) and the creatine transporter (CrT1). Protein expression of AGAT and GAMT was also assessed by Western blot. Key findings of this study include no changes in body weight or composition with creatine supplementation; increased urinary creatine excretion in supplemented spiny mice, with increased sodium (P<0.001) and chloride (P<0.05) excretion in pregnant dams after 3days of supplementation; lowered renal AGAT mRNA (P<0.001) and protein (P<0.001) expressions, and lowered CrT1 mRNA expression in the kidney (P<0.01) and brain (P<0.001). Creatine supplementation had minimal impact on creatine homeostasis in either non-pregnant or pregnant spiny mice. Increasing maternal dietary creatine consumption could be a useful treatment for birth asphyxia.

Maternal creatine supplementation affects the morpho-functional development of hippocampal neurons in rat offspring

Creatine supplementation has been shown to protect neurons from oxidative damage due to its antioxidant and ergogenic functions. These features have led to the hypothesis of creatine supplementation use during pregnancy as prophylactic treatment to prevent CNS damage, such as hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy. Unfortunately, very little is known on the effects of creatine supplementation during neuron differentiation, while in vitro studies revealed an influence on neuron excitability, leaving the possibility of creatine supplementation during the CNS development an open question. Using a multiple approach, we studied the hippocampal neuron morphological and functional development in neonatal rats born by dams supplemented with 1% creatine in drinking water during pregnancy.CA1 pyramidal neurons of supplemented newborn rats showed enhanced dendritic tree development, increased LTP maintenance, larger evoked-synaptic responses, and higher intrinsic excitability in comparison to controls. Moreover, a faster repolarizing phase of action potential with the appearance of a hyperpolarization were recorded in neurons of the creatine-treated group. Consistently, CA1 neurons of creatine exposed pups exhibited a higher maximum firing frequency than controls.In summary, we found that creatine supplementation during pregnancy positively affects morphological and electrophysiological development of CA1 neurons in offspring rats, increasing neuronal excitability. Altogether, these findings emphasize the need to evaluate the benefits and the safety of maternal intake of creatine in humans.

The Effects of Creatine Supplementation and Physical Exercise on Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a devastating disease frequently followed by significant behavioral disabilities and long-term medical complications that include a wide range of behavioral and emotional problems. TBI is characterized by a combination of immediate mechanical dysfunction of brain tissue and secondary damage developed over a longer period of time following the injury. The early inflammatory response after tissue injury can be triggered by several factors such as extravasated blood products and reactive oxygen species (ROS). It is important to note that energy generation and mitochondrial function are closely related to and interconnected with delayed secondary manifestations of brain injury, including early neuromotor dysfunction, cognitive impairment and post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE). Given the extent of post-traumatic changes in neuronal function and the possibility of amplifying secondary cascades, different therapies designed to minimize damage and retain/restore cellular function after TBI are currently being studied. In this context, the present review covers the preclinical and clinical literature investigating the role of inflammation and free radicals in secondary damage generated by several models of TBI. Furthermore, the present review aims to discuss the role of creatine, a guanidine compound popularly used as a performance-enhancing supplement for high-intensity athletic performance, in secondary damage induced by TBI. In this narrative review, we also discuss the beneficial effect of exercise performed in animal models of TBI and how the results from animal studies can be applied to clinical settings.

Effect of free creatine therapy on cisplatin-induced renal damage

Cisplatin is one of the commonly used anticancer drugs and nephrotoxicity limits its use. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible protective effect of creatine supplementation on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Sixty male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into three groups: Group I: Cisplatin (n = 20) (7 mg/kg cisplatin intraperitoneal (i.p.) single dose), group II: Cisplatin + creatine monohydrate (n = 20) (7 mg/kg cisplatin i.p. single dose and 300 mg/kg creatine p.o. daily for 30 days starting on first day of cisplatin injection), group III: Control group (n = 20) (Serum physiologic, 2.5 mL/kg i.p.). Sacrifications were performed at first week and 30th day. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine levels, histopathological evaluation, mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) common deletion rates, and body weights of rats were evaluated. A significant decrease in body weight, higher values of kidney function tests, histopathological scores, and mtDNA deletion ratios were observed in group I compared to control group at days 7 and 30 (p < 0.05). In group II, there was a slight decrease in body weight at same days (p = 0.931 and 0.084, respectively). Kidney function tests, histopathological scores, and mtDNA common deletion ratios were statistically better in group II than group I at 7th and 30th day (p < 0.05). Although creatine significantly reversed kidney functions and pathological findings, this improvement was not sufficient to reach normal control group's results at days 7 and 30. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that creatine administration is a promising adjuvant protective drug for reducing nephrotoxic effect of cisplatin.