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Effect of creatine feeding on maximal exercise performance in vegetarians
A Shomrat1, Y Weinstein, A Katz
1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Israel.
European Journal of Applied Physiology
|August 25, 2000
Summary
Vegetarians and meat-eaters show similar exercise performance improvements with creatine supplementation. This study found that creatine boosts mean power output in both groups during maximal cycling tests.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Nutritional Biochemistry
Background:
- Vegetarians typically have lower baseline creatine levels due to dietary restrictions.
- Creatine supplementation is known to enhance exercise performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of creatine supplementation on exercise performance in vegetarians compared to meat-eaters.
- To assess differences in response to creatine based on dietary habits.
Main Methods:
- Participants included vegetarians (VC) and meat-eaters (MC), with a control group (MG) receiving glucose.
- Creatine or glucose was ingested for one week.
- Exercise performance was measured using modified Wingate anaerobic tests (WAnT) before and after supplementation.
Main Results:
- Vegetarians had lower basal plasma creatine levels than meat-eaters.
- Creatine supplementation increased body mass and mean power output by approximately 5% in both vegetarians and meat-eaters.
- Peak power output increased in meat-eaters but not significantly in vegetarians.
Conclusions:
- Vegetarians and meat-eaters respond similarly to creatine supplementation regarding mean power output during short-term, maximal exercise.
- Dietary creatine intake influences baseline levels but not the ergogenic response to supplementation.