Creatine supplementation during resistance training in older adults-a meta-analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
PubMed 24576864 · doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000000220
What was done
Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis (searching PubMed and Healthstar) of randomized, placebo-controlled trials evaluating creatine supplementation combined with resistance training lasting more than 6 weeks in older adults compared to resistance training alone. Data across 357 older adults (average age 63.6 ± 5.9 years in the creatine group and 64.2 ± 5.4 years in the placebo group; mean training duration 12.6 ± 4.9 weeks) were synthesized using fixed- or random-effects models in RevMan 5.
What was found
Compared to resistance training alone, creatine plus resistance training significantly increased total body mass (P = 0.004) and fat-free mass (P < 0.0001), with no significant effect on fat mass. Creatine supplementation also resulted in greater gains in chest press one-repetition maximum (1RM) (P = 0.004), leg press 1RM (P = 0.02), and the 30-second chair stand test (P = 0.03). No significant differences between groups were found for knee extension 1RM, biceps curl 1RM, or isokinetic and isometric knee extension peak torque. Exact effect sizes and confidence intervals were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
This meta-analysis indicates that creatine supplementation can modestly amplify the benefits of resistance training on muscle mass, select upper- and lower-body strength measures, and functional mobility in older adults combating age-related muscle loss.
Limits
The total pooled sample size was modest (357 participants), and the exact number of included studies was not reported in the abstract. Improvements were inconsistent across strength outcomes, with no significant effects observed on single-joint knee extension or biceps curl strength or knee extension peak torque. Dosing protocols, side effects, and effect sizes with confidence intervals were omitted from the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Two Canadian meta-analyses found that creatine combined with resistance training in older adults improved functional tasks like sit-to-stand performance.