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Cited by 35Muscle metabolism and nutritionCardiovascular and exercise physiologyBiochemical effects in animals

Effects of dietary creatine supplementation on systemic microvascular density and reactivity in healthy young adults

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de Moraes, Roger, Van Bavel, Diogo, de Moraes, Beatriz Serpa, Tibiriçá, Eduardo·2014·Nutrition Journal
DOI 10.1186/1475-2891-13-115PMC PMC4277830
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Dietary creatine supplementation (CrS) is a practice commonly adopted by physically active individuals. However, the effects of CrS on systemic microvascular reactivity and density have never been reported. Additionally, CrS is able to influence blood levels of homocysteine, resulting in presumed effects on vascular endothelial function. Thus, we investigated the effects of CrS on the systemic microcirculation and on homocysteine levels in healthy young individuals. METHODS: This open-label study was performed on a group of 40 healthy male, moderately physically active subjects aged 27.7 ± 13.4 years who received one week of CrS at a dose of 20 g/day of commercially available micronized creatine monohydrate. Laser speckle contrast imaging was used in the evaluation of cutaneous microvascular reactivity, and intra-vital video microscopy was used to evaluate skin capillary density and reactivity, before and after CrS. RESULTS: CrS did not alter plasma levels of homocysteine, although CrS increased creatinine (p = 0.0001) and decreased uric acid (p = 0.0004) plasma levels. Significant changes in total cholesterol (p = 0.0486) and LDL-cholesterol (p = 0.0027) were also observed along with a reduction in plasma levels of T3 (p = 0.0074) and an increase in T4 levels (p = 0.0003). Skin functional capillary density (p = 0.0496) and capillary recruitment during post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (p = 0.0043) increased after CrS. Increases in cutaneous microvascular vasodilation induced by post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (p = 0.0078) were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: Oral supplementation with creatine in healthy, moderately physically active young adults improves systemic endothelial-dependent microvascular reactivity and increases skin capillary density and recruitment. These effects are not concurrent with changes in plasma homocysteine levels.

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  • There is no evidence that micronized CrM is more bioavailable than normal mesh CrM or that consuming CrM in effervescent fluid promotes greater creatine retention or performance benefits.

    “There is also no evidence that supplementation of micronized versions of CrM (i.e., CrM with smaller mesh size particles) are more bioavailable than CrM with normal mesh sized particles [138,139,140] or consuming CrM in effervescent fluid promotes greater creatine retention or performance benefits [22,141].”

    From Bioavailability, Efficacy, Safety, and Regulatory Status of Creatine and Related Compounds: A Critical Review (2022) · cites this paper as [140]

    The Methods section says the study used micronized creatine monohydrate, but it does not compare its bioavailability with normal-mesh creatine monohydrate. The cited paper therefore does not establish the claim attached to this citation. The separate claim about effervescent fluid is cited to other sources. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Sorted by citations

Authors
de Moraes, R., Van Bavel, D., de Moraes, B. S., & Tibiriçá, E.
Affiliations
Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia (BR)
Corresponding author
Tibiriçá, Eduardo
ORCID
Tibiriçá, Eduardo
Venue
Nutrition Journal
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2014-12
Volume
13
Issue
1
Pages
115-115
ISSN
1475-2891 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/1475-2891-13-115
PMC
PMC4277830
OpenAlex
W2136363691
Cited by
35
References
11
Citations by year
2025: 2 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 4
FWCI
1.69
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nutrition Journal (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Americanae (AECID Library) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Arca - Repositório Institucional da Fiocruz (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
  • Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
  • Fundação Oswaldo Cruz
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Biochemical effects in animals
Keywords
creatine monohydrate, microvessel density, skin microcirculation, microvascular reactivity, homocysteine, endothelial function, post-occlusive reactive hyperemia, vasodilation, uric acid, creatinine, thyroid hormones, healthy young adults
MeSH terms
Adult, Capillaries, Cholesterol, Creatine, Creatinine, Diet, Homocysteine, Humans, Cholesterol, LDL, Male, Skin, Thyroxine, Triiodothyronine, Uric Acid, Vasodilation, Microvessels, Young Adult

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