More and more people are using sports supplements to improve athletic performance and body build. As the research accumulates, the boundaries which divide the beneficial from the useless supplements become clearer. In this review I take a look at what some of the recent research studies have to report about what benefits are confirmed from taking creatine, caffeine, carbohydrates, and androstenedione supplements.
What’s New in Creatine Research?
For about a decade now, use of creatine supplements continues to increase on the athletic scene. Dozens of studies have confirmed that for some athletes, under certain conditions taking creatine supplements can improve strength performance. Some studies even report an increase in lean body mass. So while the research studies confirm that creatine supplements can enhance short-duration, high-intensity athletic activities, determining the optimum dosage is still yet to be determined.
To add a piece to the creatine dosage puzzle, a research team 1 examined the effects of taking an average of 7.7 grams per day (0.1 gram per kilogram of lean body mass) of creatine supplement for 21 days on resistance training on force output, power output, duration of mean peak power output, and total work performed until fatigue. Forty-one male athletes took part in the study, about half took creatine and the other half took an inactive placebo preparation. Various performance measurements were taken while the subjects exercised with bench press movements until exhaustion. At the end of the 21 day study the results came in and revealed that the individuals who were taking the creatine supplements had significant improvements in performing more work until fatigue set in. They also experienced improvements in force and power output, which they were able to sustain for longer periods of time.
But there is more news about creatine, which is especially interesting for females. To figure out if there is a creatine gender gap, 12 males and 12 females were given either supplements containing creatine monohydrate 5 grams four times per day ( a total of 20 grams per day), or a creatine free drink, for 4 days 2. The results indicated that there is no gender specific responses to creatine administration, and men and women both experienced the expected benefits from taking creatine supplements. These benefits included increasing high-intensity exercise performance ability.
And there is still more news about the benefits of taking creatine supplements for females interested in boosting upper body anaerobic strength. In this study 3 strength-trained females involved in overhand sports were given either an inactive placebo or 25 grams of creatine monohydrate supplements per day for 7 days. Improvement in upper extremity ability to perform strenuous exercise was caused from taking the creatine supplements. These and other research studies all indicate that for short-term, high intensity athletic events and weight lifting, creatine supplementation is proven to increase performance. This makes creatine a sort of dragster nitro fuel for the strength athlete.
Caffeine Can Help You Do It Better.
Most of the world greets each day consuming some form of caffeine containing beverage. Caffeine is a well established central nervous system stimulant. It boosts alertness too. Previous research discovered that caffeine frees up more fatty acids, which is beneficial for long distance athletes, as this delays glycogen depletion and increases athletic performance in the "long-run". Studies also show that caffeine intake improves reaction time and performance in sports like tennis.
New research 4 reveals that caffeine can boost performance in short-term athletic events as well. Using a rowing ergometer exercise machine, it was determined that 1 hour after athletes took 6 or 9 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body mass, exercise performance time significantly improved. This occurred in particular during the first 500 meter segment of the simulated rowing test. Keep in mind that when using caffeine to boost performance, it may be banned by your athletic organization at certain blood levels, and caffeine also can have a dehydrating effect. Also, because caffeine can deplete calcium from your body, studies show that prolonged high intakes should be avoided, and that extra calcium intake is needed to avoid the risk of calcium depletion.
Carbs Keep You Going and Going and Going …
For the perpetually obese, who thrive on overeating carbohydrate foods, cutting back on carbs may make sense to help them lose weight. But for athletes, high carb diets are needed to maintain the body’s supply of glucose, a primary source of energy in all sports. Plenty of research shows that performance is improved in sports lasting more then an hour, from carbohydrate loading, and ingesting simple carbohydrate beverages (glucose is best for this) immediately before and during their athletic event and training.
A new study 5 adds additional data in support of the endurance enhancing effects carbohydrate containing beverages have to offer athletes. After taking a beverage enriched with carbohydrates and electrolytes, blood glucose levels were indeed elevated and subjects ran longer when compared to individuals just drinking placebo beverage. So for the long-run, high carbohydrates are essential.
To Andro or Not, What is the Answer?
The use of testosterone precursors supplements, like androstenedione, is spreading like wildfire through gyms. But the benefits are still unproven for strength athletes. This is especially true for young individuals, whose hormone levels are already naturally soaring. The idea behind taking androstenedione is that because the body uses it to make testosterone, some extra from supplements, may increase testosterone even more.
While millions of andro tablets are consumed per day by iron pumping athletes, new research 6 adds to the disappointing news of previous studies. A new study looked at the effects of an androstenedione complex formula had on weight lifting males. The complex formula contained a daily dosage of 300 mg of androstenedione, plus, 150 mg of DHEA, 750 mg of Tribulus terrestris, 625 mg of chrysin, 300 mg of indole-3-carbinol, and 540 mg of Saw palmetto. Blood levels of androstenedione concentrations did increase in the supplement taking group when compared to the placebo group.
During the 8 week study period, muscle strength was increased in both the groups, but the differences were not significant. The researchers also observed the use of the androstenedione complex formula did not result in increased serum testosterone concentrations. The increased production of estrogen caused by the androstenedione supplement was not reduced by the addition of chrysin. All told, the andro supplement did not cause an additional benefits to resistance training young adults.
References:
1. Burke DG, Silver S, Holt LE, Smith Palmer T, Culligan CJ, Chilibeck PD. "The effect of continuous low dose creatine supplementation on force, power, and total work." Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2000 Sep;10(3):235-44
2. Tarnopolsky MA, MacLennan DP. "Creatine monohydrate supplementation enhances high-intensity exercise performance in males and females." Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2000 Dec;10(4):452-63
3. Hamilton KL, Meyers MC, Skelly WA, Marley RJ. "Oral creatine supplementation and upper extremity anaerobic response in females." Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2000 Sep;10(3):277-89
4. Anderson ME, Bruce CR, Fraser SF, Stepto NK, Klein R, Hopkins WG, Hawley JA. "Improved 2000-meter rowing performance in competitive oarswomen after caffeine ingestion." Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2000 Dec;10(4):464-75
5. Davis JM, Welsh RS, Alerson NA. "Effects of carbohydrate and chromium ingestion during intermittent high-intensity exercise to fatigue." Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2000 Dec;10(4):476-85
6. Brown GA, Vukovich MD, Reifenrath TA, Uhl NL, Parsons KA, Sharp RL, King DS. "Effects of anabolic precursors on serum testosterone concentrations and adaptations to resistance training in young men." Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2000 Sep;10(3):340-59
