creatine studies

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If anyone is interested, here are the abstracts from a few of the creatine

studies.

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Muscle Nerve. 1997 Dec;20(12):1502-9. A randomized, controlled trial of

creatine monohydrate in patients with mitochondrial cytopathies.

Tarnopolsky MA, Roy BD, Mac JR.

Department of Neurology, McMaster University Medical Center, Hamilton,

Ontario, Canada.

Fatigue in patients with mitochondrial cytopathies is associated with

decreased basal and postactivity muscle phosphocreatine (PCr). Creatine

monohydrate supplementation has been shown to increase muscle PCr and

high-intensity power output in healthy subjects. We studied the effects of

creatine monohydrate administration (5 g PO b.i.d. x 14 days --> 2 g PO

b.i.d. x 7 days) in 7 mitochondrial cytopathy patients using a randomized,

crossover design. Measurements included: activities of daily living (visual

analog scale); ischemic isometric handgrip strength (1 min); basal and

postischemic exercise lactate; evoked and voluntary contraction strength of

the dorsiflexors; nonischemic, isometric, dorsiflexion torque (NIDFT, 2

min); and aerobic cycle ergometry with pre- and post-lactate measurements.

Creatine treatment resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) increased handgrip

strength, NIDFT, and postexercise lactate, with no changes in the other

measured variables. We concluded that creatine monohydrate increased the

strength of high-intensity anaerobic and aerobic type activities in patients

with mitochondrial cytopathies but had no apparent effects upon lower

intensity aerobic activities.

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Neurology. 1999 Mar 10;52(4):854-7. Creatine monohydrate increases strength

in patients with neuromuscular disease.

Tarnopolsky M, J.

Department of Neurology/Neurological Rehabilitation and Kinesiology,

McMaster University Medical Center, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

tarnopol@...

Creatine monohydrate has been shown to increase strength in studies of young

healthy subjects and in a few studies with patients. Creatine monohydrate

(10 g daily for 5 days to 5 g daily for 5 days) was administered to patients

with neuromuscular disease in a pilot study (Study 1; n = 81), followed by a

single-blinded study (Study 2; n = 21). Body weight, handgrip, dorsiflexion,

and knee extensor strength were measured before and after treatment.

Creatine administration increased all measured indices in both studies.

Short-term creatine monohydrate increased high-intensity strength

significantly in patients with neuromuscular disease.

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Neurology. 2004 May 25;62(10):1771-7. Creatine monohydrate enhances strength

and body composition in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Tarnopolsky MA, Mahoney DJ, Vajsar J, C, Doherty TJ, Roy BD,

Biggar D.

Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

tarnopol@...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether creatine monohydrate (CrM) supplementation

increases strength and fat-free mass (FFM) in boys with Duchenne muscular

dystrophy (DD). METHODS: Thirty boys with DD (50% were taking

corticosteroids) completed a double-blind, randomized, cross-over trial with

4 months of CrM (about 0.10 g/kg/day), 6-week wash-out, and 4 months of

placebo. Measurements were completed of pulmonary function, compound manual

muscle and handgrip strength, functional tasks, activity of daily living,

body composition, serum creatine kinase and gamma-glutamyl transferase

activity and creatinine, urinary markers of myofibrillar protein breakdown

(3-methylhistidine), DNA oxidative stress (8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine

[8-OH-2-dG]), and bone degradation (N-telopeptides). RESULTS: During the CrM

treatment phase, there was an increase in handgrip strength in the dominant

hand and FFM (p < 0.05), with a trend toward a loss of global muscle

strength (p = 0.056) only for the placebo phase, with no improvements in

functional tasks or activities of daily living. Corticosteroid use, but not

CrM treatment, was associated with a lower 8-OH-2-dG/creatinine (p < 0.05),

and CrM treatment was associated with a reduction in N-telopeptides (p <

0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Four months of CrM supplementation led to increases in

FFM and handgrip strength in the dominant hand and a reduction in a marker

of bone breakdown and was well tolerated in children with DD.

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