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Creatine supplementation and endurance performance: surges and sprints to win the race.

Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
December 1, 2023
Scott C Forbes et al. (10 authors)
ReviewJournal ArticleHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to review the potential mechanisms by which creatine supplementation could affect endurance performance and highlight nuances in the literature.

Results Summary

Creatine supplementation enhances anaerobic work capacity, increases time to exhaustion during high-intensity endurance activities, and may improve performance in sports requiring repeated surges or end spurts. However, mixed results were observed for time trial performances, and increased body mass may offset benefits in weight-bearing activities.

Population

Not specified (general endurance athletes and sports requiring intermittent high-intensity efforts).

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

Co-ingestion with carbohydrates enhances glycogen resynthesis.

Extracted Claims (10)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
Creatine supplementation
increase
resistance training and improve intense, short duration, intermittent performance
-
-
is an effective ergogenic aid to augment
#1
Creatine supplementation
increase
skeletal muscle phosphocreatine (PCr) stores
-
-
elevates
#2
Creatine supplementation
increase
ATP
-
-
facilitating a greater capacity to rapidly resynthesize
#3
Creatine supplementation
increase
hydrogen ion accumulation
-
-
facilitating a greater capacity to buffer
#4
Creatine
increase
glycogen resynthesis and content
-
-
enhances
#5
Creatine
decrease
inflammation and oxidative stress
-
-
lowers
#6
Creatine
increase
mitochondrial biogenesis
-
-
has the potential to increase
#7
Creatine supplementation
increase
body mass
-
-
increases
#8
Creatine supplementation
increase
time to exhaustion during high-intensity endurance activities
-
-
increases
#9
Creatine supplementation
increase
performances that require multiple surges in intensity and/or during end spurts
-
-
appears to be more effective at improving
#10
Abstract

Creatine supplementation is an effective ergogenic aid to augment resistance training and improve intense, short duration, intermittent performance. The effects on endurance performance are less known. The purpose of this brief narrative review is to discuss the potential mechanisms of how creatine can affect endurance performance, defined as large muscle mass activities that are cyclical in nature and are >~3 min in duration, and to highlight specific nuances within the literature. Mechanistically, creatine supplementation elevates skeletal muscle phosphocreatine (PCr) stores facilitating a greater capacity to rapidly resynthesize ATP and buffer hydrogen ion accumulation. When co-ingested with carbohydrates, creatine enhances glycogen resynthesis and content, an important fuel to support high-intensity aerobic exercise. In addition, creatine lowers inflammation and oxidative stress and has the potential to increase mitochondrial biogenesis. In contrast, creatine supplementation increases body mass, which may offset the potential positive effects, particularly in weight-bearing activities. Overall, creatine supplementation increases time to exhaustion during high-intensity endurance activities, likely due to increasing anaerobic work capacity. In terms of time trial performances, results are mixed; however, creatine supplementation appears to be more effective at improving performances that require multiple surges in intensity and/or during end spurts, which are often key race-defining moments. Given creatines ability to enhance anaerobic work capacity and performance through repeated surges in intensity, creatine supplementation may be beneficial for sports, such as cross-country skiing, mountain biking, cycling, triathlon, and for short-duration events where end-spurts are critical for performance, such as rowing, kayaking, and track cycling.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
HumansCreatinePhysical EnduranceDietary SupplementsPhosphocreatineMuscle, SkeletalGlycogen
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations23
Citations/Year11.5
Relative Citation Ratio9.59
NIH Percentile97.7%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score2.88
Normalized Score0.69
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Creatine supplementation and endurance performance: surges a... | Panacea Index