Does Creatine Supplementation have a Beneficial Effect on Muscle Performance and Development in Male Athletes?

Jimmy Christiansen 10/31/11

Introduction: Creatine is one of the most commonly used supplements for athletic purposes by men. Even though it was discovered in 1832 by Michel Eugne Chevreul, it has only just been noticed within the past five years and emerged as a top seller. Oral supplementation of creatine is taken by many anaerobic athletes, such as body builders, who are constantly looking to improve their strength. They use creatine as a supplement to assist their skeletal muscle energy levels. While there are limitations to the usage of creatine as a supplement, it is commonly beneficial to the male athlete for the performance purposes of muscle growth, repair, and strength. Creatine is a compound that is synthesized in the liver and kidneys. This compound contains two nonessential amino acids, arginine and glycine. However the final conversion into

creatine requires an essential amino acid, methionine. Meaning that creatine is found naturally in the human body but requires methionine to be supplied in the diet. Creatine can be naturally supplied through various foods but meat primarily has the highest known creatine concentrations. Over 90% of creatine is stored in the skeletal muscle. Here the creatine is awaiting the Creatine-phosphocreatine energy buffer during (anaerobic) exercise1.

Strength: Strength in creatine monohydrated was tested in a study by Spillane M, et al. a control group of 10 individuals receiving a placebo as well as a group of 10 individuals who took creatine as an oral supplement were tested to determine the extent to which creatine affects muscle strength and power, body composition, serum and muscle creatine levels, and serum creatinine levels.2

Table 1: Baseline Participant Demographics Group Group Size PLA CR 10 10 Height (cm) Bodyweight (kg) Age (yr) 20.16 (1.46) 20.36 (1.53)

175.39 (7.82) 77.91 (18.44) 173.67 (9.14) 89.45 (22.14)

The study took on a period of 48 days resulting, testing on days 6, 27, and 48. An increase of strength in the athletes resulted after consistently receiving oral creatine

Tarnopolsky MA. Caffeine and Creatine Use in Sport. Department of Pediatrics and Medicine. Ann Nutr Metab 2010;57(suppl 2):18
2 2

Spillane M, Schoch R, Cooke M, et al. The effects of creatine ethyl ester supplementation combined with heavy resistance training on body composition, muscle performance, and serum and muscle creatine levels. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2009, 6:6.

monohydrate. Increase in strength from creatine is not a method. However, this study was recorded on short burst anaerobic exercise only from testing the subjects on bench press.2

Growth: As for muscle growth, Ralph J, et al., ,reported the finding that a significant increase in body mass had occurred with zero gain in body fat. The conclusion suggested that the weight was lean muscle mass and that the subjects in the study (male athletes) had a greater hypertrophy using creatine.3 Controversy over if the cells in the skeletal muscle has increased temporarily still lie undiscovered, but compared to the placebo group, muscle growth was more predominate.

Repair: Creatine can be taken before or after a workout, but the belief that creatine can help repair muscles after your workout is unclear. Not enough evidence has been provided to support the increase and effectiveness of muscle repair. Although inversely related, in a review by the Department of Medicine, creatine can attenuate muscle loss, but only in certain subjects. It has also been noted that creatine levels in skeletal muscle recuperate faster in a 30 second time period compared to those who didnt take creatine.4 Also, creatine can have the effect of cell swelling in some which can result in faster nutrient intake into muscle, which could achieve faster repair time in some cases. However, cell hypertrophy did not occur in test with rats when no workout was given. Resulting in a case that cell hypertrophy only occurs in some subjects only with aerobic exercises are given.5

Performance: Performance enhancing supplements intrigue male athletes today and creatine is the supplement that has their attention. Using a parallel, randomized, double blind protocol, a college volleyball team (mens) was supplemented with a placebo or creatine solution for 28 days at a dose of 20g day/days 1-4, 10 g day/days 5-6, and 5g day/days 7-28.6 Creatine successfully improved jump heights which is a critical aspect in the majority of sports today. As far as sports that require anaerobic strength to perform, creatine can supply male athletes to perform at a higher standard than those who do not intake the oral supplement. However, aerobic male athletes, such as endurance runners, have been proven to receive very little if any benefit from oral creatine. Studies have shown that results remain unchanged when creatine is given to endurance athletes, but these studies do not show the possible increase in muscle recovery and growth, which could be a possibility.

Effectiveness: In a double blind (placebo) study for choosing effectiveness of creatine, oral creatine is more beneficial in the monohydrate form. Creatine has many different forms and concentrations, but monohydrate has been proven to be just as successful if not more effective as other forms. Monohydrate is the oral supplements original form, but supplement industries come up with derivative forms of monohydrate such as Creatine ethyl ester. Creatine ethyl ester is supposedly more absorbable and has longer life in the body, but because this has been proven false, creatine monohydrate is the superior choice for male athletes.2,3

Limitations:

Many concerns over creatine have arisen in the 21st century. Cancer, kidney and liver failure, and dehydration have all been straying athletes away from this supplement. Health concerns for any supplement should be taken into consideration, especially if the supplement is new to the athlete. However, these health concerns have been proven untrue. Creatine, being a top seller, has received much attention to numerous studies and reviews. Creatine was deemed as dangerous after a cancer threat from a French food agency posted that they performed a clinical trial proving that creatine was a toxic carcinogen. This was false and creatine was once again a safe supplement. Also possible kidney and liver concerns arose, but studies have proven otherwise. Another mythical side effect is that creatine can dehydrate athletes from cell swelling. Again, this is untrue. The only concern that has been found is that it can cause gastrointestinal upset in few subjects. Although most health concerns have been found to be untrue and harmless, concerns still arise without long-term studies. 1

Conclusion: Creatine has been proven to help male athletes with muscular performance. An increase in muscular function and strength has been proven to occur in male athletes using creatine. However, it is a hotly debated substance. Some organizations try to ban creatine supplements, such as the NCAA while studies dispute the health threats related to creatine use. Further research into creatine has resulted in its use to treat and constrain health problems. It has been used for patients with illnesses including muscular dystrophy, polymyositis, normal aging, Parkinsons disease, Huntingtons disease, brain hypoxia (stroke, cerebral palsy),and congestive heart failure.7 Creatine is not only an aid to anaerobic athletes but it is becoming a part of the medical field as more research is conducted on its health benefits.