Creatine
Improve your mind while increasing your muscles
Editor's Note: Creatine has long been a favored
supplement for helping individuals to increase muscle size and strength.
Now we find that creatine can help our minds as well. It seems that
creating is no longer just a supplement for the young and physically
fit, it's a great supplement for us all. (Some side affects are noted
towards the end of this article and diabetics should be especially
careful - consult our physician before using creatine.)
BOOST YOUR BRAIN POWER: CREATINE, A COMPOUND FOUND IN MUSCLE TISSUE,
FOUND TO IMPROVE WORKING MEMORY AND GENERAL INTELLIGENCE
Research undertaken by scientists at the University of Sydney and
Macquarie University in Australia has shown that taking creatine, a
compound
found in muscle tissue, as a dietary supplement can give a significant
boost to both working memory and general intelligence. The work, to
be
published in a forthcoming Proceedings B, a learned journal published
by the Royal Society, monitored the effect of creatine supplementation
on 45 young adult vegetarian subjects in a double-blind,
placebo-controlled experiment.
"
The level of creatine supplementation chosen was 5g per day as this
is
a level that has previously been shown to increase brain creatine
levels. This level is comparable to that taken to boost sports fitness,"
explains Dr. Caroline Rae who led the research. "Vegetarians or
vegans
were chosen for the study as carnivores and omnivores obtain a variable
level of creatine depending on the amount and type of meat they eat
-
although to reach the level of supplementation in this experiment would
involve eating around 2 kg of meat a day!"
Creatine power
Athletes and fitness fanatics have known that creatine supplementation
can increase sports performance and the compound - a close relative
of
the amino acids - has also been trialed successfully in the treatment
of neurological, neuromuscular and atherosclerotic disease. "We
know
that creatine plays a pivotal role in maintaining energy levels in
the
brain," says Dr. Rae. "So it was a reasonable hypothesis
that
supplementing a diet with creatine could assist brain function."
The experiment tested this hypothesis by giving the one group of
subjects a creatine supplement and a second group a placebo for six
weeks,
followed by a six week period with no intake and a final six week period
when the control and placebo group were swapped. Intelligence and
memory were tested at four points: the start of the trial; the end
of the
first six week period; and the start and endpoint of the final six
week
period.
Testing tasks
The effect on working memory was tested using a backward digit span
test in which the subject has to repeat in reverse order progressively
longer verbal random number sequences. Intelligence was tested using
Ravens Advanced Progressive Matrices - a methodology commonly used
for IQ
assessment involving completion of pattern sequences.
The test is a
well
validated measure of general ability with minimal dependence on
cultural factors. "Both of these tests require fast brain power
and the
Raven's task was conducted under time pressure," says Dr. Rae. "The
results
were clear with both our experimental groups and in both test scenarios:
creatine supplementation gave a significant measurable boost to brain
power. For example in the digit span test subjects ability to remember
long numbers, like telephone numbers, improved from a number length
of
about 7 to an average of 8.5 digits."
The study shows that increased creatine intake results in improved
brain function, similar to effects shown previously in muscle and heart.
The results agree with previous observations showing that brain creatine
levels correlate with improved recognition memory and reduce mental
fatigue. "These findings underline a dynamic and significant role
of brain
energy capacity in influencing brain performance," says Dr. Rae.
"
Increasing the energy available for computation increases the power
of the
brain and this is reflected directly in improved general ability."
A short term boost?
Long term supplementation with creatine has yet to be declared truly
safe as there have been reported effects on glucose homeostasis (the
regulation of blood sugar levels) and potential subjects with a medical
history of diabetes were excluded from the experiment. In addition
taking
the supplement can have some antisocial effects. "To be frank
taking
the supplement can make you a considerably less 'fragrant' person," says
Dr. Rae. "However creatine supplementation may be of use to those
requiring boosted mental performance in the short term - for example
university students."
Source: The Royal Society
Date Posted: 2003-08-13
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