Tag Archive for: energy production

Creatine: Does Size Matter?

/in /by

The researchers in Tuesday’s study demonstrated that the use of creatine did not increase muscle size after considering the increase in fluid levels. The major problem is the limited scope of the study: looking only at changes in lean body mass. While the researchers should be given credit for the approach using DEXA, there are several issues with the study.

Age: The researchers used both men and women in the study—no problem if you have enough of each gender. The problem was that they included subjects between 18 and 50 years old; research has shown that muscle loss due to age can begin as early as 40. With only 63 subjects, ideally it would mean 15 men and 15 women in each group. Dividing those few subjects into under 40 and over 40 means as few as six or seven subjects in each group. That’s just not enough subjects to prove their point; it’s sufficient for a pilot study, but not enough to determine health recommendations.

SEM: SEM stands for Standard Error of Measurement. The DEXA scan has limitations in determining the lean body mass with precision. The differences in lean body mass fell within the standard error of the measurement; the measuring tool wasn’t precise enough to measure actual differences.

Strength: Where was the strength data comparing differences in gains between the creatine and experimental group? Looking at lean body mass is looking at a combination of factors, but strength is strength: the amount of weight can you lift in several lifts like the dead lift, the squat, and the bench press. You can’t do such an intensive study and not measure the simplest variable. I’ve emailed the corresponding author, but he’s on a break in Australia. If I get a response, I’ll share it with you.

The Bottom Line

Creatine is a natural substance that may be beneficial for a variety of issues besides muscle growth. I use it every day because I lift to increase strength, but also because it benefits energy levels, skin, muscles, and other organs as well. I think everyone over 40 can probably benefit from taking five grams of creatine monohydrate every day.

Check with your doctor to find out your limitations on exercise intensity and get after it. Weight training should be a part of your regular routine, and creatine is a natural way of making more energy to increase muscular strength.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference:  https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17061081

Does Creatine Help Build Muscle?

/in /by

Creatine is a naturally occurring chemical your body makes by combining glycine, arginine, and methionine. It’s primarily used in energy production as a precursor in the manufacture of ATP in your body. Creatine is often used to help increase muscle mass in people who train with weights and that’s the focus of the paper I’m going to review.

Researchers in Australia recruited male and female subjects who had been sedentary and had not done any form of resistance training or creatine supplementation in the past year. They collected data on 33 controls and 30 experimental subjects for a 13-week creatine supplementation and resistance training study. The objective was to see if there were actual changes in muscle mass and lean body mass within the resistance training and supplementation program. Prior research had shown that creatine may change only water levels—creatine is known to increase fluid levels in muscle.

The tool they used to assess fluid levels was DEXA to scan for lean body mass before the study began, after the 7-day wash-in period with creatine, and after the 13-week resistance training program. They found that lean body mass increased during the wash-in period in the supplementation group before the resistance training program began, and the difference in lean body mass was maintained throughout the resistance training program. In response to the resistance training program, both groups increased lean body mass by 4.4 pounds after accounting for the initial difference in weight. Therefore, they concluded that creatine may not contribute to increases in lean body mass when used in a resistance training program because of the lack of difference between the supplement and the placebo group once the initial lean body mass was accounted for. But did they ask the correct question? We’ll find out on Saturday.

Tomorrow night is the Insider Conference Call. If you want to get your questions answered, become an Insider before 8 p.m. tomorrow night to join in.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference:  https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17061081

2022 Super Bowl Webinar

/in /by

The first Super Bowl Webinar I did examined the energy systems of the body and how to train each one for a specific purpose, a concept called “specificity of training.” Now, 12 years later, we’re going back to examine the part of the cells that produces the most energy: the mitochondria.

Recent research has focused on what happens to mitochondria over our lifetime. Free radicals, the by-products of energy production in the mitochondria, interfere with energy production. More than that, they can damage the mitochondria, prevent the production of new mitochondria, and prevent the normal recycling of mitochondrial components to be reused in the body. The result is a lack of energy that impacts all phases of our lives.

That’s the problem. Is there any solution? That’s the topic of this year’s Super Bowl Webinar: Reclaiming Your Power! Based on the most recent research, I’m going to explain what goes wrong and the potential solutions, which include exercise, diet, and supplements. And it’s not just the over-65 crowd that may produce less energy; from early adulthood, you can start feeling the effects. No matter what your age, if you feel you don’t have the energy you used to have, join me for this year’s Super Bowl Webinar.

The webinar will be held live on Super Bowl Sunday, February 13, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time; your cost is only $12.95. If you can’t join live, you’ll get access to the replay for a week after the live webinar. Of course, Insiders and Members get the usual discounts.

If you want to reclaim your power, join me on the 13th to find out how.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet