Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation, but not Creatyl-L-Leucine, Increased Muscle Creatine Content in Healthy Young Adults: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

• Published in: International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism Vol. 32; no. 6; p. 446
• Main Authors: Askow, Andrew T, Paulussen, Kevin J M, McKenna, Colleen F, Salvador, Amadeo F, Scaroni, Susannah E, Hamann, Jade S, Ulanov, Alexander V, Li, Zhong, Paluska, Scott A, Beaudry, Kayleigh M, De Lisio, Michael, Burd, Nicholas A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-11-2022
• Subjects: Amides - metabolism; Amides - pharmacology; Body Composition - physiology; Creatine; Dietary Supplements; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Leucine - metabolism; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell - metabolism; Male; Muscle Strength; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; Young Adult; dietary supplements; nutritional supplements; muscle hypertrophy; anabolism
• ISSN: 1543-2742
• DOI: 10.1123/ijsnem.2022-0074

Creatine (Cr) supplementation is a well-established strategy to enhance gains in strength, lean body mass, and power from a period of resistance training. However, the effectiveness of creatyl-L-leucine (CLL), a purported Cr amide, is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the effects of CLL on muscle Cr content. Twenty-nine healthy men (n = 17) and women (n = 12) consumed 5 g/day of either Cr monohydrate (n = 8; 28.5 ± 7.3 years, 172.1 ± 11.0 cm, 76.6 ± 10.7 kg), CLL (n = 11; 29.2 ± 9.3 years, 170.3 ± 10.5 cm, 71.9 ± 14.5 kg), or placebo (n = 10; 30.3 ± 6.9 years, 167.8 ± 9.9 cm, 69.9 ± 11.1 kg) for 14 days in a randomized, double-blind design. Participants completed three bouts of supervised resistance exercise per week. Muscle biopsies were collected before and after the intervention for quantification of muscle Cr. Cr monohydrate supplementation which significantly increased muscle Cr content with 14 days of supplementation. No changes in muscle Cr were observed for the placebo or CLL groups. Cr monohydrate supplementation is an effective strategy to augment muscle Cr content while CLL is not.