For creatine, promising uses for muscle disease sufferers.the aged, or patients otherwise suffering from muscle disease and disuse dis·use n. The state of not being used or of being no longer in use. disuse Noun the state of being neglected or no longer used; neglect Noun 1. , may be able to benefit from creatine creatine /cre·a·tine/ (kre´ah-tin) an amino acid occurring in vertebrate tissues, particularly in muscle; phosphorylated creatine is an important storage form of high-energy phosphate. , a nitrogen-containing compound made in the body and found in meat and fish. It is known to combine with phosphorus to form high-energy phosphates, important in living cells for storing and using energy. Creatine has been observed for some time for its possible performance-enhancing ability. With chronic supplementation and strength training, creatine may increase protein synthesis Protein synthesis is the creation of proteins using DNA and RNA. Biological and artificial methods for creation of proteins differ significantly.
It seems that not everyone responds to creatine supplementation in the same way. If the inconsistencies in the existing literature can be resolved, the potential for creatine as a treatment for muscle weakness beyond the athletic realm would be of great benefit. The Exercise Nutrition Research laboratory at the University of Western Ontario Western is one of Canada's leading universities, ranked #1 in the Globe and Mail University Report Card 2005 for overall quality of education.[2] It ranked #3 among medical-doctoral level universities according to Maclean's Magazine 2005 University Rankings. has assembled a useful review of the current data, and attempted to explain some of its inconsistencies. They posit that small sample sizes are one answer to the great variability in response to creatine loading. And because of the invasive nature of muscle biopsy In medicine, a muscle biopsy is a procedure in which a piece of muscle tissue is removed from an organism and examined microscopically. A biopsy needle is usually inserted into a muscle, wherein a small amount of tissue remains. , many researchers have failed to obtain subjects' creatine levels prior to studying them. Brief, intense, repetitive exercise seems to benefit most from creatine loading. Endurance activities are generally unaffected, and certainly not in the way they can be from carbohydrate-loading. There is also an optimal rest/recovery period for exercise with creatine use that needs to be illuminated. Additionally, there have been anecdotal reports of increased muscle strain and exertional compartment syndrome Compartment syndrome Compartment syndrome is a condition in which a muscle swells but is constricted by the connective tissue around it, which cuts off blood supply to the muscle. in the leg with creatine use. The scientists in Canada call for additional data collection to resolve these issues, but remain confident that based on the published information to date, creatine has an ability to enhance muscle function in elderly patients or others who have lost significant muscle strength and function. (Can. J. Appl. Physiol., 2002, Vol. 27, No. 6, pp. 663-680) |
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