Acta Scientific Nutritional Health (ASNH)(ISSN: 2582-1423)

Review Aticle Volume 7 Issue 9

Use of Creatine as a Nutritional Supplement during Endurance Training

Ana Calderón Ramos*

Graduate in Human Nutrition and Dietetics at the Pablo de Olavide University, Seville, Spain

*Corresponding Author: Ana Calderón Ramos, Graduate in Human Nutrition and Dietetics at the Pablo de Olavide University, Seville, Spain.

Received: July 24, 2023; Published: August 14, 2023

Abstract

Creatine supplementation shows greatest benefits when applied with the aim of improving strength and endurance in anaerobic exercise. Nevertheless, there is also evidence of benefits from supplementation for endurance exercise such as cycling, middle distance, team sports or HIIT. The aim of this review is to evaluate the potential benefits of creatine as a nutritional supplement during endurance exercise, as well as identify the potential mechanisms may influence. There are many types of creatine, but the most evidence-based and most widely consumed is creatine monohydrate. Most effective way to achieve gains is by performing a loading phase with the intake of 5 g of creatine monohydrate (or 0.3g/kg body weight) four times a day for a period of 5-7 days. Once muscle creatine stores are fully saturated, an intake of 3-5g/day is usually sufficient to maintain them. In the case of endurance activities, improved performance is attributed to an increase in phosphocreatine resynthesis and muscle creatine content. The response to supplementation can differ greatly among individuals, usually depending on the individual's initial phosphocreatine stores. Potential mechanisms that could affect training adaptations include an increase in exercise intensity, the role of creatine in aerobic metabolism and finally its antioxidant properties. Nevertheless, further research is needed to fully understand its impact on training adaptations in endurance sports. According to the results of some studies, the best time to consume creatine is after exercise; consumption of 5 g of creatine after exercise shows improvements in body composition (gains in fat-free mass and loss of fat mass). In addition to its efficacy, it is also considered a safe supplement, and is approved and recommended by several official organizations. It is true that in some specific cases, such as in polymedicated, elderly or postmenopausal women, adverse effects may occur after supplementation. However, in most cases this will be unusual. Finally, additional applications of creatine have recently been identified that enhance recovery, warm-up exercise tolerance, injury prevention and rehabilitation, and neuroprotection of the brain and spinal cord, as well as other potential medical uses in different clinical contexts. In summary, creatine supplementation seems to have benefits in endurance exercise, although more studies are still needed to specify which parameters are improved in each type of exercise, also considering the influence of other factors such as age or gender.

Keywords: Creatine; Creatine Monohydrate; Supplement; Sport; Exercise; Resistance Training; Endurance; Ergogenic Aid

References

  1. Antonio Jose., et al. "Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show?" Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 18.1 (2021): 13.
  2. Delpino Felipe M., et al. "The Influence of Age, Sex, and Type of Exercise on the Efficacy of Creatine Supplementation on Lean Body Mass: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials”. Nutrition (2022): 111791.
  3. Australian Institute of Sport. "Position statement: supplements and sports foods in high performance sport” (2022).
  4. González Cano, Henar. "La creatina como ayuda ergogénica nutricional en el deportista jóven." (2019).
  5. Kreider Richard B., et al. "International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine”. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 13 (2017).
  6. Forbes Scott C., et al. "Creatine supplementation and endurance performance: surges and sprints to win the race”. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 20.1 (2023): 2204071.
  7. Maughan Ronald J., et al. "IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete”. British Journal of Sports Medicine 52.7 (2018): 439-455.
  8. Naderi Alireza., et al. "Timing, Optimal Dose and Intake Duration of Dietary Supplements with Evidence-Based Use in Sports Nutrition”. Journal of Exercise Nutrition and Biochemistry 20.4 (2016): 1-12.
  9. Rothschild Jeffrey A and David J Bishop. “Effects of Dietary Supplements on Adaptations to Endurance Training”. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) 50.1 (2020): 25-53.
  10. Alimentación nutrición e hidratación en el deporte. Federación española de Medicina del Deporte.
  11. C Forbes S., et al. "Timing of Creatine Supplementation and Resistance Training: A Brief Review”. Journal of Exercise and Nutrition 1.5 (2018).
  12. Andres Susanne., et al. "Creatine and creatine forms intended for sports nutrition”. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research 61.6 (2017): 10.

Citation

Citation: Ana Calderón Ramos. “Use of Creatine as a Nutritional Supplement during Endurance Training". Acta Scientific Nutritional Health 7.9 (2023): 63-68.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Ana Calderón Ramos. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.




Metrics

Acceptance rate30%
Acceptance to publication20-30 days
Impact Factor1.316

Indexed In





News and Events


  • Certification for Review
    Acta Scientific certifies the Editors/reviewers for their review done towards the assigned articles of the respective journals.
  • Submission Timeline for Upcoming Issue
    The last date for submission of articles for regular Issues is December 25, 2024.
  • Publication Certificate
    Authors will be issued a "Publication Certificate" as a mark of appreciation for publishing their work.
  • Best Article of the Issue
    The Editors will elect one Best Article after each issue release. The authors of this article will be provided with a certificate of "Best Article of the Issue"

Contact US