Guest guest Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 >Do you mean creatine? What is that exactly? Adam, below I have pasted some info about creatine that I posted to the group in September. I think it will answer your questions. Personally, I have gotten significant help from creatine. I've been on it for 1.5 years. I have less muscle pain, more tolerance for activity and my muscle recovers quicker from insult or overuse. Barbara ________ " Creatine monohydrate is a substance synthesized in the human body and is found in all meats. Creatine functions as an energy buffer/alternative energy source in the cell, a weak but abundant antioxidant, and can protect against ischemic injury in the brain. " " Studies: Several small clinical trials in one case report have shown that creatine supplementation can improve high intensity and aerobic exercise performance, timed exhaustion on a cycle ergometer, and some indicators of daily activity performance. We have recently shown that creatine reversed paracrystalline inclusions in the muscle of a patient with a cytochrome b mutation and that creatine improved cell survival in cultured cells made from this patient (Tarnopolsky, M.A., Muscle and Nerve, IN PRESS, 2004). " Usual dose: 5 grams per day; 0.1-0.15 grams/kg/day. " http://www.umdf.org/library/UMDF%20Winter%202004.pdf Quote from a lengthy article by Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky with thorough discussion of many aspects of the mito cocktail, including a summary of the clinical studies available for each. Abstracts from three creatine studies: 1. Muscle Nerve. 1997 Dec;20(12):1502-9. A randomized, controlled trial of creatine monohydrate in patients with mitochondrial cytopathies. Tarnopolsky MA, Roy BD, Mac JR. Department of Neurology, McMaster University Medical Center, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Fatigue in patients with mitochondrial cytopathies is associated with decreased basal and postactivity muscle phosphocreatine (PCr). Creatine monohydrate supplementation has been shown to increase muscle PCr and high-intensity power output in healthy subjects. We studied the effects of creatine monohydrate administration (5 g PO b.i.d. x 14 days --> 2 g PO b.i.d. x 7 days) in 7 mitochondrial cytopathy patients using a randomized, crossover design. Measurements included: activities of daily living (visual analog scale); ischemic isometric handgrip strength (1 min); basal and postischemic exercise lactate; evoked and voluntary contraction strength of the dorsiflexors; nonischemic, isometric, dorsiflexion torque (NIDFT, 2 min); and aerobic cycle ergometry with pre- and post-lactate measurements. Creatine treatment resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) increased handgrip strength, NIDFT, and postexercise lactate, with no changes in the other measured variables. We concluded that creatine monohydrate increased the strength of high-intensity anaerobic and aerobic type activities in patients with mitochondrial cytopathies but had no apparent effects upon lower intensity aerobic activities. ------------------------------- 2. Neurology. 1999 Mar 10;52(4):854-7. Creatine monohydrate increases strength in patients with neuromuscular disease. Tarnopolsky M, J. Department of Neurology/Neurological Rehabilitation and Kinesiology, McMaster University Medical Center, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. tarnopol@... Creatine monohydrate has been shown to increase strength in studies of young healthy subjects and in a few studies with patients. Creatine monohydrate (10 g daily for 5 days to 5 g daily for 5 days) was administered to patients with neuromuscular disease in a pilot study (Study 1; n = 81), followed by a single-blinded study (Study 2; n = 21). Body weight, handgrip, dorsiflexion, and knee extensor strength were measured before and after treatment. Creatine administration increased all measured indices in both studies. Short-term creatine monohydrate increased high-intensity strength significantly in patients with neuromuscular disease. ------------------------------ 3. Neurology. 2004 May 25;62(10):1771-7. Creatine monohydrate enhances strength and body composition in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Tarnopolsky MA, Mahoney DJ, Vajsar J, C, Doherty TJ, Roy BD, Biggar D. Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. tarnopol@... OBJECTIVE: To determine whether creatine monohydrate (CrM) supplementation increases strength and fat-free mass (FFM) in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DD). METHODS: Thirty boys with DD (50% were taking corticosteroids) completed a double-blind, randomized, cross-over trial with 4 months of CrM (about 0.10 g/kg/day), 6-week wash-out, and 4 months of placebo. Measurements were completed of pulmonary function, compound manual muscle and handgrip strength, functional tasks, activity of daily living, body composition, serum creatine kinase and gamma-glutamyl transferase activity and creatinine, urinary markers of myofibrillar protein breakdown (3-methylhistidine), DNA oxidative stress (8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine [8-OH-2-dG]), and bone degradation (N-telopeptides). RESULTS: During the CrM treatment phase, there was an increase in handgrip strength in the dominant hand and FFM (p < 0.05), with a trend toward a loss of global muscle strength (p = 0.056) only for the placebo phase, with no improvements in functional tasks or activities of daily living. Corticosteroid use, but not CrM treatment, was associated with a lower 8-OH-2-dG/creatinine (p < 0.05), and CrM treatment was associated with a reduction in N-telopeptides (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Four months of CrM supplementation led to increases in FFM and handgrip strength in the dominant hand and a reduction in a marker of bone breakdown and was well tolerated in children with DD. ------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 Barbara More than any actual muscle improvement, it is my mental alertness and motivation to be active that has improved on creatine. I know, it sounds crazy. laurie > >Do you mean creatine? What is that exactly? > > Adam, below I have pasted some info about creatine that I posted to the > group in September. I think it will answer your questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 Improvement of any kind is worth celebrating! Sometimes when I'm trying things, I wonder about the placebo effect, but in the long run, if something helps I don't really care if it's placebo or " real. " I'll take it either way. :-) Barbara > Re: creatine question > > Barbara > > More than any actual muscle improvement, it is my mental alertness and > motivation to be active that has improved on creatine. I know, it > sounds crazy. > > laurie > > > > >Do you mean creatine? What is that exactly? > > > > Adam, below I have pasted some info about creatine that I posted to the > > group in September. I think it will answer your questions. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 13, 2005 Report Share Posted October 13, 2005 Barbara Me too! Dr. Cohen even commented that I was more mentally alert. As you say, whatever improvement, I'll take it. laurie > Improvement of any kind is worth celebrating! Sometimes when I'm trying > things, I wonder about the placebo effect, but in the long run, if something > helps I don't really care if it's placebo or " real. " I'll take it either > way. :-) > > Barbara > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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