Creatine and low-dose lithium supplementation separately alter energy expenditure, body mass, and adipose metabolism for the promotion of thermogenesis.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Preclinical animal study without human clinical data.
PubMed 38550985 · doi:10.1016/j.isci.2024.109468
What was done
Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with either creatine or low-dose lithium supplementation to directly compare their effects on daily energy expenditure, body mass, and thermogenic markers across brown adipose tissue (BAT), white adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data, dosages, or effect sizes. Both supplements increased daily energy expenditure and lowered body mass in male rats. Lithium increased BAT mitochondrial and lipolytic proteins, whereas creatine increased BAT UCP1 and mitochondrial respiration. These BAT adaptations were not observed in female rats, and neither supplement altered thermogenic markers in white adipose tissue or skeletal muscle.
Why it matters
This study shows that creatine and low-dose lithium promote brown adipose tissue thermogenesis through distinct cellular mechanisms in male rodents, highlighting marked sex-dependent metabolic responses.
Limits
This was an animal study in Sprague-Dawley rats and cannot be directly translated to humans. The abstract omits sample size, dosages, treatment duration, and exact quantitative effect sizes. Thermogenic changes were absent in female rats.
Cited by
- supports In animal models, creatine has been shown to have beneficial effects on fat from a cellular perspective.