A study from Texas A&M University shows that creatine helps you gain lean mass and strength, even without an exercise program. Combined with a slimming diet, it would also limit muscle loss.
With age, the progressive loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia) is often accompanied by a decline in creatine reserves, a molecule that provides energy to the muscles and the brain.
Sources of creatine
Creatine is a small molecule made by the body from three amino acids: arginine, methionine and glycine. “It is said to be “non-proteinogenic”explain Sylvain Druguet and Vincent Foulonneau in The guide to sports food supplements (special endurance), because it is not used to make proteins. Its function is elsewhere: it participates in the storage and rapid release of energy. »
The body produces some of it itself, mainly in the liver, kidneys and pancreas. The rest comes from food, especially meat and fish. Herring is one of the most concentrated sources, with up to 10 g per kg raw, ahead of beef, around 4 to 5 g per kg. About 95% of creatine is stored in skeletal muscles.
Creatine is best known for its benefits among athletes. But a study from Texas A&M University, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutritionprovides new data on its interest outside the sporting framework.
Muscle mass is preserved even without exercising
64 healthy adults, aged 45 to 65, participated in this 12-week intervention. The participants first chose whether or not to follow an exercise program (weight training and cardio, three times a week, with a slightly hypocaloric diet), then they were distributed, within each group, between those who took 10 g/day of creatine monohydrate and those who had a placebo.
Results :
- Without an exercise program : participants on creatine gained on average 1 kg of lean mass in 12 weeks, with an improvement in strength (bench press, leg press), without changing their habits.
- With exercise and a low-calorie diet : the creatine group gained almost 1.3 kg of lean mass and reduced its percentage of fat mass more than the exercise + diet + placebo group, which gained almost no lean mass.
- Supplementation, up to 10 g per day, also promotes cognitive function and memory.
Read: Are Creatine Supplements Dangerous for Kidneys? (subscribers)
A supplement originally for athletes
“Creatine is the best-documented dietary supplement in the history of sportexplain Sylvain Druguet and Vincent Foulonneau. Creatine is, according to the ISSN International Society of Sports Nutrition), the most effective supplement for gaining strength and muscle mass. After saturation of muscle reserves, strength gains of 10 to 20% have been observed. »
For them, creatine is particularly interesting for senior athletes, vegetarians and vegans and athletes facing a heavy training load or a sleep debt.
