In a new study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, researchers investigated the effects of creatine supplementation on muscle strength and lean tissue in adults ages 45 to 65. Here is what they discovered:
1. Creatine combined with strength training produced greater improvements in strength and lean tissue.
Participants who took creatine (10 grams daily) while following a strength-training program experienced significant improvements in muscle strength and lean tissue compared to participants who strength trained but received a placebo. This is an important and exciting finding, although not entirely surprising given the existing body of research on creatine.
2. Perhaps more surprisingly, creatine improved strength and lean tissue even in people who did not strength train.
A group of participants who consumed creatine (again, 10 grams daily, which is about twice the traditionally recommended daily serving) but did NOT participate in strength training also experienced significant improvements in strength and lean tissue. This is particularly interesting because much of the existing research has focused on the benefits of creatine when combined with resistance training.
The authors concluded: “These findings support the contention that CrM supplementation can improve strength and endurance in untrained and trained populations, with greater benefits when combined with exercise training.”
3. Creatine may also help people preserve muscle and lose body fat during weight loss.
The researchers found that middle-aged and older adults who combined creatine supplementation with exercise and a calorie-restricted diet experienced greater reductions in body fat percentage, along with improvements in muscular strength and endurance.
The authors concluded: “Creatine supplementation during an exercise and weight-loss diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults promoted a greater reduction in body fat percentage, gains in muscular strength and endurance...”
Take-home message: This is an interesting and potentially important study. However, I would be careful not to let the headline become “Creatine builds muscle without exercise.” The more meaningful message is that creatine may provide additional benefits for muscle mass and strength, and those benefits may be especially valuable when combined with resistance training.
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