Creatine but not betaine supplementation increases muscle phosphorylcreatine content and strength performance

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the role of betaine supplementation on muscle phosphorylcreatine (PCr) content and strength performance in untrained subjects. Additionally, we compared the ergogenic and physiological responses to betaine versus creatine supplementation. Finally, we also tested the possible additive effects of creatine and betaine supplementation. This was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Subjects were assigned to receive betaine (BET; 2 g/day), creatine (CR; 20 g/day), betaine plus creatine (BET+CR; 2+20 g/day, respectively) or placebo (PL). At baseline and after 10 days of supplementation, we assessed muscle strength and power, muscle PCr content, and body composition. The CR and BET+CR groups presented greater increase in muscle PCr content than PL (p=0.004 and p=0.006, respectively). PCr content was comparable between BET versus PL (p=0.78) and CR versus BET+CR (p=0.99). CR and BET+CR presented greater muscle power output than PL in the squat exercise following supplementation (p=0.003 and p=0.041, respectively). Similarly, bench press average power was significantly greater for the CR-supplemented groups. CR and BET+CR groups also showed significant pre- to post-test increase in 1-RM squat and bench press (CR: p=0.027 and p<0.0001; BET+CR: p=0.03 and p<0.0001 for upper- and lower-body assessments, respectively) No significant differences for 1-RM strength and power were observed between BET versus PL and CR versus BET+CR. Body composition did not differ between the groups. In conclusion, we reported that betaine supplementation does not augment muscle PCr content. Furthermore, we showed that betaine supplementation combined or not with creatine supplementation does not affect strength and power performance in untrained subjects.

Effects of betaine on body composition, performance, and homocysteine thiolactone

“…By increasing Hcy transmethylation, betaine spares Met, allows for more efficient use of dietary protein, and increases nitrogen retention [7]. Due to the inclusion of resistance training in this study but not previous studies [5,6], the demand for Met in the initiation of translation in protein synthesis was likely elevated, thereby leading to a greater utilization of elevated Met, and thus improvements in lean mass. Therefore, the results from the present study lend support to the hypothesis that the action of betaine to improve body composition in humans may be most effective when accompanied by exercise.…”

Betaine supplement enhances skeletal muscle differentiation in murine myoblasts via IGF-1 signaling activation

“…Recent studies have assessed the potential use of BET as an ergogenic aid in athletic performance [10-14,40,41]. Previous authors have suggested that BET acts as osmoprotector and a methyl donor [10,11,13], although no focused in vitro studies were carried out to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of BET on skeletal muscle differentiation and hypertrophy.…”

Creatine Supplementation and Upper Limb Strength Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Among the 49 studies for which the training status was reported, 53.1 % of participants performed strength training during the trial, 6.1 % experienced aerobic training, and 28.6 % participated in mixed training (endurance and strength). Only seven studies reported no training [16,[32][33][34][35][36][37]. The frequency of training was predominantly three times per week.…”