Creatine may help build muscle even without exercise, researchers find
3 hours ago
- A 12-week study found that creatine helped middle-aged adults (45-65) gain lean tissue and strength even without a structured exercise program.
- Combining creatine with regular exercise and a calorie-reduced diet led to greater strength gains, increased lean tissue, and reduced body fat percentage.
- The study, led by Dr. Richard Kreider at Texas A&M University, involved 64 participants who took 10 grams of creatine monohydrate or a placebo daily.
- Participants not exercising gained about 2.4 pounds of lean tissue and improved leg press and bench press strength.
- Those in the exercise program with creatine showed enhanced leg press strength, bench press strength, and time to exhaustion compared to exercise alone.
- This is the first study to show that creatine plus exercise and diet reduces body fat percentage more than exercise and diet alone.
- Creatine is a well-studied supplement with no significant difference in side-effect rates compared to placebo across 685 clinical trials.
- Researchers suggest creatine may be a useful tool for maintaining muscle mass and supporting healthy aging, especially since many people do not get enough from diet.