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<\/p>\nA supplement popular with gymgoers for building muscle is being hailed as a surprise strength booster, even for adults who do not exercise.<\/p>\n
Texas A&M University researchers made the discovery, finding that in a 12-week study, adults aged 45 to 65 who took creatine ‘increased their lean tissue and strength’ even if they did not work out.<\/p>\n
Creatine supplements contain a substance naturally made by the body and found in foods such as meat and fish. People commonly take them to improve strength, boost exercise performance and support muscle growth.<\/p>\n
In the peer-reviewed study, some participants took 10 grams of creatine monohydrate a day, divided into morning and evening doses, while others took a placebo. Some took part in a structured exercise program while others did not.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those who took the supplement without exercising gained about 2.4 pounds of lean tissue on average, while those who exercised but took a placebo showed little change.<\/p>\n
The nonexercising creatine takers’ maximum bench-press lift increased by roughly 15 percent over 12 weeks, outperforming the nonexercising placebo group.<\/p>\n
‘I think the improvements in muscle performance are the key variables,’ Darren Candow, a creatine researcher and professor at Canada’s University of Regina who was not involved in the study, told the Daily Mail. ‘Improving muscle strength especially is important for older adults.’<\/p>\n
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The study found those who took creatine without exercising gained about 2.4 pounds of lean tissue on average.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that just 47.2 percent of US adults meet federal guidelines for aerobic activity.<\/p>\n
For adults who struggle to fit regular workouts into their lives, the findings raise the possibility that creatine could offer some strength benefits.<\/p>\n
‘We have proposed several times that creatine is one tool in a multi-factorial toolbox,’\u00a0Candow said.<\/p>\n
‘When combined with resistance exercise, creatine has been shown to increase lean mass, muscle size, muscle performance and functional ability in healthy older adult populations.’<\/p>\n
The study, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, recruited 73 healthy but sedentary adults.<\/p>\n
Participants chose whether to follow an exercise and diet program, then were randomly assigned to receive creatine monohydrate or a placebo.<\/p>\n
Neither participants nor researchers knew who received which powder until the study database was finalized.<\/p>\n
A total of 64 adults aged 45 to 65, 40 women and 24 men, completed the 12-week trial.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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In the peer-reviewed study, participants took 10 grams of creatine monohydrate a day, divided into morning and evening doses<\/p>\n
Researchers measured body composition, strength, blood markers and cognitive performance at the start, after six weeks and after 12 weeks.<\/p>\n
Among the 13 participants taking creatine without a structured exercise or diet program, lean tissue had already increased by an average of 2.2 pounds after six weeks.<\/p>\n
Leg-press performance also improved, although the advantage over placebo was less clear.<\/p>\n
The bench-press result was a direct measurement of lifting performance, separate from the increase in lean tissue recorded by the body scans.<\/p>\n
Candow sees potential applications for people whose circumstances prevent them from exercising.<\/p>\n
‘These results could have application for those who cannot go to a gym, are injured or in long-term care,’ he said.<\/p>\n
However, he cautioned against interpreting the extra lean tissue as newly built muscle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The scans include water in their measurements, so the additional weight cannot be assumed to represent newly built muscle.<\/p>\n
Candow believes the gains were ‘all water retention, especially in the nontraining group.’ The trial did not directly establish how much of the increase was water.<\/p>\n
He also suggested that the strength improvements could partly reflect participants becoming more familiar with the lifting tests.<\/p>\n
‘Lean mass and strength are associated but not cause and effect,’ Candow said.<\/p>\n
Researchers also reported changes in selected memory tests, cholesterol measures and HbA1c, a marker of longer-term blood sugar. These findings were exploratory, however, and require confirmation.<\/p>\n
For example, the nonexercising creatine group performed better than the placebo groups on a delayed word-recall assessment after six weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The trial’s 10-gram daily dose exceeded the usual three-to-five-gram maintenance amounts discussed in the paper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Candow called it ‘a viable dose’ that was ‘safe and effective for most populations.’<\/p>\n
The researchers said they selected the higher daily amount partly because of interest in creatine’s potential effects on cognition.<\/p>\n
These potential benefits include improvements in memory, attention and thinking speed, although the evidence remains mixed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For those able to exercise, Candow said the strongest evidence supports combining the two.<\/p>\n
‘The mountain of evidence behind creatine and resistance training is sound. For anyone wanting to improve muscle performance especially, the combination is something to consider.’<\/p>\n