Table 1.
Study characteristics and outcomes of research examining the influence of creatine in older adults with a resistance training program
| Study | Study population | Intervention | Duration | Outcome measure | Adverse events | Jadad score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aguiar et al23 | n=18 (healthy women) Mean age =64.9 years |
CR (5 g/day) or PLA RT =3 days/wk |
12 wks | CR ↑ bench press, knee extension, bicep curl, fat-free mass, and muscle mass | Not reported and/or not collected | 4 |
| Alves et al24 | n=22 (healthy women) Mean age =66.8 years |
CR (4×5 g/day for 5 days, 5 g/day thereafter) or PLA RT =2 days/wk |
24 wks | ↔ leg press or chest press strength | No adverse events | 5 |
| Bemben et al21 and Eliot et al22 | n=42 (healthy men) Age =48–72 years |
CR (5 g/day), protein (35 g/day), protein (35 g/day) + CR (5 g/day) or PLA RT =3 days/wk |
14 wks | ↔ upper or leg press strength, lean tissue mass | No adverse events | 4 |
| Bermon et al25 | n=32 (16 men, 16 women, healthy) Age =67–80 years |
CR (20 g/day for 5 days followed by 3 g/day) or PLA RT =3 days/wk |
52 days | ↔ leg press and chest press strength | No adverse events | 3 |
| Brose et al26 | n=28 (15 men; 13 women, healthy) Mean age = men, 68.7 years; women, 70.8 years |
CR (5 g/day) or PLA RT=3 days/wk | 14 wks | CR ↑ lean tissue mass, isometric knee extension strength, isometric dorsiflexion strength in men ↔ sit to stand in 30 s; 30 m walking time, time to climb 14 stairs, type I, IIa, IIx muscle fiber area |
One gastrointestinal adverse event in the CR group, no kidney or liver adverse events | 3 |
| Candow et al27 | n=35 (healthy men) Age =55–77years |
CR (0.1 g/kg/day) or CR + protein (0.3 g/kg/day) or PLA RT =3 days/wk |
10 wks | CR + CR + PRO conditions ↑ muscle thickness. Participants in both CR groups had a decrease in muscle protein catabolism compared with PLA ↔ bench press or leg press strength |
No adverse events | 4 |
| Candow et al28 | n=39 (17 men, 22 women, healthy) Age =50–71 years |
CR (0.1 g/kg) before RT, CR (0.1 g/kg) after RT, or PLA RT =3 days/wk |
32 wks | CR after RT ↑ lean tissue mass CR before and after RT ↑ leg press and chest press strength |
No adverse events | 4 |
| Chilibeck et al29 | n=33 (healthy women) Mean age =57 years |
CR (0.1 g/kg/day) or PLA | 52 wks | CR ↑ chest press strength ↔ lean tissue mass or hack squat strength |
Gastrointestinal adverse events, CR =5 vs PL =2 Muscle cramps, CR =2 No adverse events related to liver or kidney function with CR |
5 |
| Chrusch et al9 | n=30 (healthy men) Age =60–84 years |
CR (0.3 g/kg/day for 5 days followed by 0.07 g/kg/day) or PLA RT =3 days/wk |
12 wks | CR ↑ lean tissue mass and leg press strength, leg press endurance, and average power (knee extension). ↔ chest press strength, chest press endurance |
CR during loading phase increased gastrointestinal adverse events CR increased muscle cramping and muscle pulls/strains |
3 |
| Collins et al30 | n=16 (frail men and women) Mean age =70 years |
CR (4 g/day) and whey protein (20 g/day) or whey protein RT =2 days/wk |
14 wks | ↔ lean tissue mass, handgrip strength, timed up and go test, number of stands in 30 s | No adverse events | 4 |
| Cooke et al31 | n=20 (healthy men) Age =55–70 years |
CR (20 g/day for 7 days; 0.1 g/day thereafter on training days) or PLA RT =3 days/wk |
12 wks | ↔ lean tissue mass, bench press or leg press strength, myofibrillar protein, type I or II muscle fiber area, serum IGF-1 | No reporting of adverse events and/or not collected | 4 |
| Cornelissen et al32 | n=70 (66 men, 4 women with coronary artery disease or chronic heart failure) Mean age =57.5 years |
CR (5 g/day) or PLA RT =3 days/wk |
3 months | ↔ isometric or isokinetic knee extension strength | No adverse events including no reports of liver or kidney adverse events | 5 |
| Deacon et al33 | n=80 (50 men, 30 women with COPD) Mean age =68.2 years |
CR (22 g/day for 5 days followed by 3.76 g/day) RT =3 days/wk |
7 wks | ↔ shuttle walk distance, knee extensor work, isometric or isokinetic strength, lean tissue mass | No reporting of adverse events and/or not collected | 5 |
| Eijnde et al34 | n=46 (healthy men) Age =55–75 years |
CR (5 g/day) or PLA RT + cardiorespiratory=2–3 days/wk |
26 wks | ↔ lean tissue mass, isometric strength | One CR group participant reported overuse trauma of the shoulder | 3 |
| Gualano et al35 | n=25 (9 men, 16 women with type 2 diabetes) Mean age =57 years |
CR (5 g/day) or PLA RT =3 days/wk |
12 wks | ↔ lean tissue mass, chest press, leg press, handgrip, and low back strength, chair stands in 30 s, timed up and go. CR decreased glycosylated hemoglobin levels, area under the blood glucose curve during oral glucose tolerance test, and increased muscle membrane glucose transport protein 4 levels |
No adverse events | 5 |
| Gualano et al36 | n=30 (“vulnerable” women) Mean age =65.4 years |
CR (20 g/day for 5 days; 5 g/day thereafter) or PLA RT =2 days/wk |
24 wks | CR ↑ lean tissue mass and chest press strength ↔ leg press strength, timed up and go test, chair stands in 30 s |
No adverse events including markers of kidney and liver function | 5 |
| Hass et al37 | n=20 (17 men, 3 women with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease) Mean age =62 years |
CR (20 g/day for 5 days followed by 5 g/day); PLA RT =2 days/wk |
12 wks | CR ↑ chest press strength, chair rise performance. ↔ 1 repetition maximum leg extension, muscular endurance |
No adverse events | 3 |
| Johannsmeyer et al38 | n=31 (17 men, 14 women, healthy) Mean age =58 years |
CR (0.1 g/kg/day) or PLA RT =3 days/wk |
12 wks | CR ↑ lean tissue mass, men on CR reduced protein catabolism ↔ leg press or bench press strength, handgrip strength, 80 m walking time, balance |
No adverse events | 5 |
| Neves et al39 | n= 24 (postmenopausal women with knee osteoarthritis) Age =55–65 years |
CR (20 g/day for 1 wk followed by 5 g/day) or PLA RT =3 days/wk |
12 wks | CR ↑ physical function, stiffness subscales, lower limb lean mass, quality of life ↔ leg press strength, whole-body lean tissue mass |
No adverse events | 5 |
| Pinto et al40 | n=27 (men and women, healthy) Age =60–80 years |
CR (5 g/day) or PLA RT =3 days/wk |
12 wks | CR ↑ lean tissue mass ↔ leg press or chess press strength |
No adverse events | 4 |
| Tarnopolsky et al41 | n=39 (19 men; 20 women, healthy) Age =65–85 years |
CR (5 g/day) + CLA (6 g/day) or PLA RT =2 days/wk |
6 months | CR + CLA ↑ muscular endurance, isokinetic knee extension strength, lean tissue mass ↔ 30 s sit to stand test, 30 m walking, tandem balance testing, timed up and go test |
One individual in the CR + CLA group reported gastrointestinal distress; no liver or kidney abnormalities | 5 |
| Villanueva et al42 | n=14 (healthy men) Mean age =68.7 years |
CR (0.3 g/kg/day for 5 days, 0.07 g/kg/day thereafter + 35 g whey protein or PLA RT =3 days/wk |
12 wks | ↔ lean tissue mass, chest press or leg press strength, chest press or leg press muscular endurance, Margaria power test, 400 m walking time | No adverse events | 2 |
Notes: ↑ represents significant increase compared with the placebo condition; ↔ represents no difference between the creatine and placebo conditions. Jadad scores range from 0 to 5 with 0 being poor quality and 5 being optimal quality.
Abbreviations: CR, creatine; IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor 1; PLA, placebo; PRO, protein; RT, resistance training; wk, week.