Surprising creatine discovery reveals strength gains without hitting the gym

A supplement popular with gymgoers for building muscle is being hailed as a surprise strength booster, even for adults who do not exercise.

Texas A&M University researchers made the discovery, finding that in a 12-week study, adults aged 45 to 65 who took creatine ‘increased their lean tissue and strength’ even if they did not work out.

Creatine supplements contain a substance naturally made by the body and found in foods such as meat and fish. People commonly take them to improve strength, boost exercise performance and support muscle growth.

In the peer-reviewed study, some participants took 10 grams of creatine monohydrate a day, divided into morning and evening doses, while others took a placebo. Some took part in a structured exercise program while others did not. 

Those who took the supplement without exercising gained about 2.4 pounds of lean tissue on average, while those who exercised but took a placebo showed little change.

The nonexercising creatine takers’ maximum bench-press lift increased by roughly 15 percent over 12 weeks, outperforming the nonexercising placebo group.

‘I think the improvements in muscle performance are the key variables,’ Darren Candow, a creatine researcher and professor at Canada’s University of Regina who was not involved in the study, told the Daily Mail. ‘Improving muscle strength especially is important for older adults.’

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that just 47.2 percent of US adults meet federal guidelines for aerobic activity.

For adults who struggle to fit regular workouts into their lives, the findings raise the possibility that creatine could offer some strength benefits.

‘We have proposed several times that creatine is one tool in a multi-factorial toolbox,’ Candow said.

‘When combined with resistance exercise, creatine has been shown to increase lean mass, muscle size, muscle performance and functional ability in healthy older adult populations.’

The study, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, recruited 73 healthy but sedentary adults.

Participants chose whether to follow an exercise and diet program, then were randomly assigned to receive creatine monohydrate or a placebo.

Neither participants nor researchers knew who received which powder until the study database was finalized.

A total of 64 adults aged 45 to 65, 40 women and 24 men, completed the 12-week trial. 

Researchers measured body composition, strength, blood markers and cognitive performance at the start, after six weeks and after 12 weeks.

Among the 13 participants taking creatine without a structured exercise or diet program, lean tissue had already increased by an average of 2.2 pounds after six weeks.

Leg-press performance also improved, although the advantage over placebo was less clear.

The bench-press result was a direct measurement of lifting performance, separate from the increase in lean tissue recorded by the body scans.

Candow sees potential applications for people whose circumstances prevent them from exercising.

‘These results could have application for those who cannot go to a gym, are injured or in long-term care,’ he said.

However, he cautioned against interpreting the extra lean tissue as newly built muscle. 

The scans include water in their measurements, so the additional weight cannot be assumed to represent newly built muscle.

Candow believes the gains were ‘all water retention, especially in the nontraining group.’ The trial did not directly establish how much of the increase was water.

He also suggested that the strength improvements could partly reflect participants becoming more familiar with the lifting tests.

‘Lean mass and strength are associated but not cause and effect,’ Candow said.

Researchers also reported changes in selected memory tests, cholesterol measures and HbA1c, a marker of longer-term blood sugar. These findings were exploratory, however, and require confirmation.

For example, the nonexercising creatine group performed better than the placebo groups on a delayed word-recall assessment after six weeks. 

The trial’s 10-gram daily dose exceeded the usual three-to-five-gram maintenance amounts discussed in the paper. 

Candow called it ‘a viable dose’ that was ‘safe and effective for most populations.’

The researchers said they selected the higher daily amount partly because of interest in creatine’s potential effects on cognition.

These potential benefits include improvements in memory, attention and thinking speed, although the evidence remains mixed. 

For those able to exercise, Candow said the strongest evidence supports combining the two.

‘The mountain of evidence behind creatine and resistance training is sound. For anyone wanting to improve muscle performance especially, the combination is something to consider.’