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Creatine but not betaine supplementation increases muscle phosphorylcreatine content and strength performance.

Amino acids
June 1, 2012
Serena del Favero et al. (12 authors)
Journal ArticleRandomized Controlled TrialResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to investigate the effects of betaine supplementation on muscle phosphorylcreatine (PCr) content and strength performance in untrained subjects, comparing it to creatine and a combination of both.

Results Summary

Betaine supplementation did not increase muscle PCr content or improve strength and power performance in untrained subjects, either alone or combined with creatine. Creatine alone or combined with betaine significantly increased PCr content and muscle power output.

Population

Untrained subjects

Effective Dosage

2 g/day (betaine), 20 g/day (creatine), 2+20 g/day (betaine + creatine)

Duration

10 days

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (16)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
creatine (CR; 20 g/day)
increase
muscle PCr content
untrained subjects
-
presented greater increase
#1
betaine plus creatine (BET+CR; 2+20 g/day, respectively)
increase
muscle PCr content
untrained subjects
-
presented greater increase
#2
betaine (BET; 2 g/day)
no change
PCr content
untrained subjects
-
comparable
#3
creatine (CR; 20 g/day)
increase
muscle power output in the squat exercise
untrained subjects
-
presented greater muscle power output
#4
betaine plus creatine (BET+CR; 2+20 g/day, respectively)
increase
muscle power output in the squat exercise
untrained subjects
-
presented greater muscle power output
#5
creatine (CR; 20 g/day)
increase
bench press average power
untrained subjects
-
significantly greater
#6
creatine (CR; 20 g/day)
increase
1-RM squat
untrained subjects
-
significant pre- to post-test increase
#7
creatine (CR; 20 g/day)
increase
1-RM bench press
untrained subjects
-
significant pre- to post-test increase
#8
betaine plus creatine (BET+CR; 2+20 g/day, respectively)
increase
1-RM squat
untrained subjects
-
significant pre- to post-test increase
#9
betaine plus creatine (BET+CR; 2+20 g/day, respectively)
increase
1-RM bench press
untrained subjects
-
significant pre- to post-test increase
#10
betaine (BET; 2 g/day)
no change
1-RM strength and power
untrained subjects
-
No significant differences
#11
betaine (BET; 2 g/day)
no change
muscle PCr content
untrained subjects
-
does not augment
#12
betaine supplementation combined or not with creatine supplementation
no change
strength and power performance
untrained subjects
-
does not affect
#13
betaine (BET; 2 g/day)
no change
body composition
untrained subjects
-
did not differ
#14
creatine (CR; 20 g/day)
no change
body composition
untrained subjects
-
did not differ
#15
betaine plus creatine (BET+CR; 2+20 g/day, respectively)
no change
body composition
untrained subjects
-
did not differ
#16
Abstract

We aimed to investigate the role of betaine supplementation on muscle phosphorylcreatine (PCr) content and strength performance in untrained subjects. Additionally, we compared the ergogenic and physiological responses to betaine versus creatine supplementation. Finally, we also tested the possible additive effects of creatine and betaine supplementation. This was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Subjects were assigned to receive betaine (BET; 2 g/day), creatine (CR; 20 g/day), betaine plus creatine (BET+CR; 2+20 g/day, respectively) or placebo (PL). At baseline and after 10 days of supplementation, we assessed muscle strength and power, muscle PCr content, and body composition. The CR and BET+CR groups presented greater increase in muscle PCr content than PL (p=0.004 and p=0.006, respectively). PCr content was comparable between BET versus PL (p=0.78) and CR versus BET+CR (p=0.99). CR and BET+CR presented greater muscle power output than PL in the squat exercise following supplementation (p=0.003 and p=0.041, respectively). Similarly, bench press average power was significantly greater for the CR-supplemented groups. CR and BET+CR groups also showed significant pre- to post-test increase in 1-RM squat and bench press (CR: p=0.027 and p<0.0001; BET+CR: p=0.03 and p<0.0001 for upper- and lower-body assessments, respectively) No significant differences for 1-RM strength and power were observed between BET versus PL and CR versus BET+CR. Body composition did not differ between the groups. In conclusion, we reported that betaine supplementation does not augment muscle PCr content. Furthermore, we showed that betaine supplementation combined or not with creatine supplementation does not affect strength and power performance in untrained subjects.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdolescentAdultBetaineBody CompositionCreatineDietary SupplementsDouble-Blind MethodHumansMagnetic Resonance SpectroscopyMaleMuscle StrengthMuscle, SkeletalPhosphocreatinePlacebos
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy20/10
Quality85/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations35
Citations/Year2.7
Relative Citation Ratio1.50
NIH Percentile65%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score1.54
Normalized Score0.45
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