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BEYOND MUSCLES – THE UNTAPPED POTENTIAL OF CREATINE
Riesberg LA, et al
(1) Creatine is widely used by athletes as an ergogenic aid to enhance anaerobic exercise performance.
(2) Older individuals use creatine to prevent sarcopenia and may have therapeutic benefits for muscle wasting diseases
(3) There is a significant pool of creatine in the brain
(4) While the data are preliminary, there is evidence to suggest that individuals with certain neurological conditions may benefit
(5) Studies of creatine on the immune system have shown +ve effects
EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN YOUNG AND OLD
Rawson ES1, Venezia AC
AGING – STRENGTH
(1) Increased lean body mass, increased strength, and enhanced fatigue resistance
(2) With aging and reduced physical activity, there are decreases in muscle creatine; creatine ingestion may reverse these changes
(4) Creatine, independent of exercise training, increases body mass, enhances fatigue resistance, increases muscle strength
(5) Creatine + Resistance Training increases lean body mass, enhances fatigue resistance, increases muscle strength to a greater extent than resistance training alone
AGING – BONE DENSITY
(1) Creatine supplementation plus resistance training results in a greater increase in bone mineral density than resistance training alone.
AGING – BRAIN
(1) Creatine supplementation increases brain creatine and phosphocreatine
(2) Higher brain creatine improves neuropsychological performance
(3) Impaired cognitive processing following sleep deprivation or due to aging impaired, can be improved with creatine supplementation