A new scientific study examining the effect of CreGAAtine supplementation in the elderly was published in Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism (Seper et al., 2021).
The study analysed the effect of CreGAAtine on functional performance and brain and muscle metabolism in the elderly people above 65 year
The interest in the supplementation with micro and macronutrients in elderly population has been growing with the aging population. The focus of the research is on the substances that may improve cognitive and physical function. Creatine is one of them, yet its potential is restricted by its transport kinetics and limited deposit capacity. However, with CreGAAtine having four ways to enter the cell, it bears a higher potential to reach satisfactory levels of creatine in the cell.
The study was conducted on 21 participants with the mean age 69,9, of whom one group received 2 sachets of CreGAAtine per day and the other one received inulin as a placebo over four weeks.
The results of the study showed that the group that received CreGAAtine had:
- Higher creatine levels in brain and muscles
- Higher functional mobility, examined by Gait Speed Test Score (GST). GST measures the speed, so the lower score indicates that less time is required to pass a certain distance
- Higher functional strength and balance of lower extremities, measured by 5X Sit-to-Stand Test, 5XSST. 5XSST measures the time that a person takes to stand up from the chair and sit again, so the lower score indicates the ability to do it faster.
- Better static and dynamic balance examined by the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT).
Picture 1 shows the change in creatine content in muscles (the first upper scan) and brain (the lower six scans). The orange bar refers to CreGAAtine while the green one is for the placebo.
Picture 2 shows the change in functional capacity, measured by GST, 5XSST and TUGT scores. In all three tests, the CreGAAtine group outperformed placebo, which is indicated by the lower orange bar on Picture 2.
In conclusion, this study showed that CreGAAtine in the elderly significantly increases the level of creatine in muscles and brain, improves strength and mobility of lower extremities, locomotor performance, balance and functional mobility in the elderly.
