Effects of Creatine and Resistance Training on Bone Health in Postmenopausal Women

Abstract

Twelve months of Cr supplementation during a resistance training program preserves femoral neck BMD and increases femoral shaft superiosteal width, a predictor of bone bending strength, in postmenopausal women.

International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine

“…Candow and others [211] reported that low-dose creatine (0.1 g/kg/day) combined with protein supplementation (0.3 g/kg/day) increased lean tissue mass and upper body strength while decreasing markers of muscle protein degradation and bone resorption in older men (59–77 years). Similarly, Chilibeck et al [212] reported that 12 months of creatine supplementation (0.1 g/kg/day) during resistance training increased strength and preserved femoral neck bone mineral density and increased femoral shaft subperiosteal width in postmenopausal women. A recent meta-analysis [80] of 357 elderly individuals (64 years) participating in an average of 12.6 weeks of resistance training found that participants supplementing their diet with creatine experienced greater gains in muscle mass, strength, and functional capacity.…”

“…In this regard, creatine supplementation has been reported to help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels [67, 196]; reduce fat accumulation in the liver [197]; reduce homocysteine levels [198]; serve as an antioxidant [199–202]; enhance glycemic control [132, 203–205]; slow tumor growth in some types of cancers [32, 198, 206, 207]; increase strength and/or muscle mass [37, 41, 44, 45, 82, 208–212]; minimize bone loss [211, 212]; improve functional capacity in patients with knee osteoarthritis [213] and fibromyalgia [214]; positively influence cognitive function [43, 83, 195]; and in some instances, serve as an anti-depressant [215–217]. …”

Assessing the Associations of Blood Metabolites With Osteoporosis: A Mendelian Randomization Study

“…For instance, an animal study conducted in young Sprague-Dawley rats suggested that creatine supplementation had beneficial effects on the biological function and structure of bone and increased lumbar BMD (26). A recent study indicated that the combination of 12 months of creatine supplementation and resistance training preserved femoral neck BMD and increased femoral shaft superiosteal width in postmenopausal women (27). The same conclusion was also drawn in the elderly (28), supporting the implication of creatine in maintaining the normal biological function of bone.…”

Effects of long-term low-dose dietary creatine supplementation in older women

“…Despite some conflicting results (12,13), clinical trials have demonstrated a beneficial effect of creatine supplementation in conjunction with resistance training on bone mass (9)(10)(11). For instance, it was recently demonstrated that one year of creatine supplementation at a daily dose of 0.1 g/kg bw (~ 7 g) associated with a resistance training program preserved femoral neck BMD and increased femoral shaft superiosteal width in older women (10). In the current study, we were unable to replicate the benefits of creatine on bone health parameters.…”

“…Moreover, some (9)(10)(11), but not all (12,13), clinical studies have demonstrated a positive effect of creatine supplementation on bone health, particularly in patients with myopathies and in elderly individuals (10,11). In this regard, it was recently demonstrated that 12 months of creatine supplementation combined with resistance training attenuated femoral neck BMD loss to a greater extent than resistance training alone in postmenopausal women (10). However, the design of this study precluded the distinction of the effects of creatine supplementation alone from that of creatine combined with exercise.…”