Creatine is an amino acid produced in your kidney, liver and pancreas that's needed by your body to promote muscle contraction and growth. It's available as a supplement used primarily by athletes and bodybuilders to improve performance, but creatine also has other health benefits.
Body Composition
A study published in 1997 in "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise," investigated the effects of creatine supplements on body mass. According to the lead researcher, Dr. Mark A. Tarmopolsky, creatine significantly increased the fat-free mass and total body mass for both men and women, although the changes were more pronounced in males.
Enhanced Performance
In a 1998 article in the American College of Sports Medicine's publication, "Current Comment," Penn State researcher Dr. William J. Kraemer reported that creatine supplements reduce power decline and enhance performance in short-term bouts of exercise involving speed and power such as sprinting and weightlifting. These results were confirmed in a 2003 study on female collegiate volleyball players at Northern State University, which found that women given creatine had significant improvements in bench press and vertical jump tests.
Heart Disease
In a clinical trial at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2004, creatine was shown to help lower levels in the body of the amino acid homocysteine, a marker of potential heart attacks and strokes. Other clinical studies have demonstrated that people with congestive heart failure treated with creatine in addition to standard medications increased the amount of exercise they could do before becoming fatigued.
Memory
Creatine may also be able to boost memory and mental performance. Researchers led by Dr. Caroline Rae in Australia used creatine on volunteers for six weeks and found that their ability to remember long numbers improved from a number length of seven digits to an average of 8.5. Dr Rae believes creatine increases the amount of energy available to the brain for computational tasks, improving mental ability.
Muscle Fatigue and Disease
Several studies are finding that creatine may be helpful in treating patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Research conducted by Dr. M. Flint Beal of Cornell University Medical Center demonstrated that creatine was twice as effective as the prescription drug riluzole in extending the lives of mice with the degenerative neural disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease. Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky and fellow researchers at McMaster University Medical Center in Ontario found that creatine can cause modest increases in strength in people with a variety of neuromuscular disorders, including a 10 to 15 percent improvement in the ability to perform high-intensity exercises in patients with Lou Gehrig's disease. Creatine supplements can even help prevent muscle injuries in healthy subjects like a group of Ironman triathletes, according to a report published in 2007 in the "European Journal of Applied Physiology."
Side Effects
The most common negative side effect with short-term creatine supplements is that you may retain water, which can cause bloating and weight gain. Other potential side effects, according to the University of Maryland Health Center, include muscle cramps, stomach upset, diarrhea, dizziness, high blood pressure, liver dysfunction, and kidney damage, although most studies have found no significant side effects in lower doses of five grams per day used for up to six months.
References
- "Science Daily": Creatine Works, But Long-Term Effects Are Still Unknown
- "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise": Effect of oral creatine supplementation on muscle [PCr] and short-term maximum power output
- BBC News: Creatine 'boosts brain power'
- University of Maryland Health Center: Creatine
- Sport Science: Creatine Review
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