Potential Ergogenic Effects of Arginine and Creatine Supplementation
Research snapshot:
2004 review finds creatine supplementation enhances anaerobic capacity and muscle mass more than arginine.
2004 |
Review |
Creatine |
Ergogenic effects |
Overview.
This study reviews the potential ergogenic effects of arginine and creatine supplementation on exercise performance in both healthy and patient populations.
Background.
A team of researchers associated with various institutions, including Douglas Paddon-Jones, Elisabet Børsheim, and Robert R. Wolfe, conducted this study. It was published in The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 134, Issue 10, in October 2004.
Objectives.
The study aimed to summarize the role of arginine and its metabolite creatine as nutritional supplements in enhancing exercise capacity. It focused on their potential effects on growth hormone secretion, nitric oxide production, and muscle mass and function, particularly in conjunction with exercise stimuli.
Study design.
This is a review article based on existing research. It compiles data from numerous studies on arginine and creatine supplementation, analyzing their effects on anaerobic work capacity, muscle mass, and phosphocreatine resynthesis in both normal and patient populations.
Results.
The evidence suggests that while arginine supplementation may have limited ergogenic effects in healthy individuals, creatine supplementation significantly increases anaerobic work capacity and muscle mass, especially when combined with resistance training. The improvement is largely due to enhanced phosphocreatine resynthesis.
Conclusions.
The study concludes that creatine supplementation is more effective than arginine in enhancing exercise performance, particularly in increasing anaerobic work capacity and muscle mass. However, the direct effect of creatine on skeletal muscle protein synthesis is less clear.
Original paper.
Paddon-Jones D, Børsheim E, Wolfe RR. Potential Ergogenic Effects of Arginine and Creatine Supplementation. The Journal of Nutrition, 2004;134(10):2888S-2894S. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/134.10.2888S
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