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Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "

30.12.2019

Creatine + endurance training = a lot more mitochondria in your muscle cells

Creatine is perhaps just as interesting for endurance athletes as it is for strength athletes. This is suggested an animal study, which Egyptian researchers from Pharos University in Alexandria published in Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine. According to the Egyptians, endurance athletes can increase the ability of their muscle cells to convert nutrients into energy through creatine supplementation.

Study
For 5 weeks, the researchers experimented with 4 groups of rats.

The researchers got two groups of rats to swim for one hour a day, 5 days a week, while two other groups of test animals did not have to swim.

One group of inactive rats received extra creatine through the feed, as did one group of active rats. If the rats were adult humans, they would have received 4-7 grams of creatine daily.

Results
Supplementation and training had no significant effect on the body weight of the animals.

Training increased the amount of mitochondria in the muscle cells of the rats. The combination of training and supplementation increased this amount even further.

It seems that creatine supplementation stimulates the production of mitochondria via TFAM and NRF-1.

Conclusion
"It can be concluded that, activity coupled with short-term creatine supplementation increased all factors or mitochondrial biogenesis and improved skeletal muscle functions", the researchers write.

We, the prosaic compilers of this free web magazine, think that creatine supplementation can also be interesting for ambitious endurance athletes. After all, more mitochondria mean that muscle cells are able to generate more energy, which means that stamina increases considerably.

Creatine supplementation may become even more effective in combination with curcumin, L-citrulline or pre- or probiotics.

Source:
Exp Ther Med. 2020;19(1):384-92.

More:
Creatine speeds up muscle recovery in endurance athletes 02.04.2013
Using creatine and glycerol to increase hydration helps endurance athletes in the heat 07.03.2012
Creatine improves swimmers' 50 m times 06.10.2011

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Hefty dose of curcumin boosts effect of training on muscles Athletes looking to extend their endurance capacity may achieve better results by taking high doses of curcumin.	Butyrate protects muscles against aging A diet that increases the concentration of butyrate in the blood stimulates the manufacture of mitochondria in muscle cells.	Citrulline increases muscle mass and reduces fat mass by blocking the aging process If you are heading towards old age, a daily dose of the alpha amino acid L-citrulline may help reduce the amount of fat and increase the amount of muscle you have - by increasing the number of mitochondria of muscle cells.