Why creatine supplementation is important for vegetarians

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Why creatine supplementation is important for
vegetarians

• Creatine is an amino acid involved in cellular
  energy regulation
• Dietary source of creatine is red meat
• Vegetarian diet leads to lower levels of creatine
• Reduced levels of creatine linked to reduced
  mental and physical performance

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Creatine As A Ready Source of High Energy
Phosphate
(cellular reserve)
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Evidence for Importance of Creatine in Mental
Function

• Genetic mutations in either creatine enzymes or
  creatine transporter are associated with mental
  retardation
• Creatine supplementation has shown improvements
  in neurological diseases such as Parkinsons
  Disease
• Increased mental performance in vegetarians
  following creatine supplementation

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In Depth Look at the Science

• Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation
  improves mental performance a double-blind,
  placebo-controlled, cross-over study
• Caroline Rae, Alison L. Digney, Sally R. McEwan,
  and Timothy C. Bates University of Sidney
• Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B,
  volume 270, page 2147-2150, 2003

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Study Design

• 45 vegan or vegetarian subjects (12 M/33 F)
• Double-blind study (neither subjects nor
  evaluators know which treatment given)
• Two treatment groups (1) CRT (5 gms/d for 6
  wks) (2) Placebo (maltodextrose) (5 gms/d for 6
  wks)
• Cross-over design (each subject received both CRT
  and Placebo) with 6 wk washout in between
  treatments

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Study Design continued

• Cognitive tests
• Ravens Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM)-
• Weshler Auditory Backward Digit Span (BDS)-

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Study Results

• Red blood cell creatine content increased during
  creatine supplementation
• Creatine supplementation significantly increased
  performance on intelligence tests compared to
  placebo group

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• RAPM scores higher in creatine supplemented
  group 9.7 placebo vs. 13.7 in creatine group
• BDS score higher in creatine group score of 7
  placebo vs. 8.5 in creatine group

Rae et al., Royal Society London B, 2003
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Creatine Sources
Distribution Phase
Skeletal muscle
Heart
CREATINE
Absorption Phase
Brain
(dietary source)
(liver source)
Creatine Absorption and Distribution Phases
Requires the Transport of Creatine by Specific
Proteins in the Cellular Membranes of the Tissue
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Advantages of CEE

• Improved solubility means less GI distress
• Improved permeability means more creatine
  delivered to the tissues and less dose required
• Rapid absorption and distribution means no
  loading phase immediate results

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Bottom Line?
5-20 grams (2-4 scoops) Creatine Monohydrate
0.4-.8 gram (1-2 capsules) Creatine Ethyl Ester
Improved Physical Performance Improved Mental
Performance
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Beware of Imitations!!!
Ours Others

• Produced in accordance with Good Manufacturing
  Practices (GMP), the same used in making
  pharmaceutical agents
• Uses no animal derived material in the
  manufacturing or formulation
• Is gt95 creatine ethyl ester, no additives, no
  fillers

• Contain additives such as dextrose
• Are not guaranteed to be free of animal derived
  material
• Are not guaranteed to be prepared using GMP
• Many do not even contain creatine ethyl ester