Recently, evidence published in Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology shows that creatine supplementation in combination with resistance training blunts serum myostatin levels greater than exercise alone.
Myostatin is a powerful growth inhibitor that works by increasing catabolism in skeletal muscle. In this double-blinded placebo controlled study, volunteers weight trained for 8 weeks while taking a creatine supplement or a placebo.
Creatine or placebo was loaded for the first week at 0.3g/kg/day and maintained thereafter at 0.05g/kg/day. Periodically, throughout the training/supplementation period, strength, lean mass, and serum levels of myostatin and growth and differentiation factor-associated serum protein-1 (GASP-1, a myostatin regulator) were measured. As expected, the exercise + placebo condition decreased myostatin levels and increased GASP-1 at week 4 and 8. However, those who took
creatine had twice the reduction in myostatin levels at week 4 and 8 compared to those training with the placebo. In addition, training with
creatine supplementation increased upper and lower body strength and lean body mass better than resistance training with placebo.
Reference:
Saremi A, Gharakhanloo R, Sharghi S, Gharaati MR, Larijani B, Omidfar K. Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on serum myostatin and GASP-1.Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2010 Apr 12;317(1-2):25-30.
