For better brain cognition through to superior strength and power, creatine is one of those supplements that seems to actually work. Thanks to its cell volumizing and energizing abilities, creatine allows us to lift heavier, recover faster, and focus better under stress. Now, a new study from Texas A&M University is touting that creatine can construct more muscle even without a structured resistance training program.
The study, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, suggests that creatine could help adults to maintain lean tissue and strength, even without regular exercise. Of course, maintaining adequate levels of muscle mass is particularly important as we age because muscle loss, also known as sarcopenia, can begin as early as 35 years, and typically sees lean mass decline at a rate of 1 to 2 percent, per year, for the average person. In fact, those who fail to engage with regular resistance training could lose as much as 4 to 6 pounds of muscle per decade.
Can Creatine Build Muscle and Strength Without Exercise?
For 12 weeks, men and women between the ages of 45 and 65 were provided with creatine or a maltodextrin placebo, with each group being split into those who wanted to participate in a supervised, structured exercise program, and those who didn’t want to commit to the organized sessions. As the participants filled out questionnaires during the study, data showed that the structured exercise group racked up more moderate-to-vigorous activity than those who weren’t locked in.
Creatine Gains: Exercise Group vs. Non-Exercise Group
Despite lower levels of activity, those who took two 5g doses of creatine per day, and were not in the structured exercise program, increased their lean tissue by around 2.4 pounds over the 12-week study period. Conversely, those who took the placebo lost almost half a pound. “Creatine Monohydrate supplementation without exercise training and diet intervention increased lean tissue mass, strength, and muscular endurance while promoting favorable changes in selected blood lipids, HbA1c, and selected markers of cognitive function and memory,” read the report.
Key Health & Fitness Takeaways for Older Adults
The results on muscle mass were even more profound in the structured exercise group, however. Creatine users who undertook the supervised sessions gained 2.8 pounds of lean mass on average. Creatine was also shown to preserve muscle even under the conditions of fat loss, because participants in the exercise program were given a modest calorie deficit. After 12 weeks, this group had gained almost three pounds of lean tissue despite dropping fat, while the exercise group that took a placebo showed little change in lean tissue. Still, both the structured and non-structured groups, on creatine, saw a greater reduction in body fat percentage than that seen by exercise or diet alone.
“Creatine Monohydrate supplementation with and without exercise and diet intervention may help middle-aged and older adults maintain muscle mass and strength while favorably affecting selected markers of health and cognitive function,” concluded the study.