Creatine in Health and Disease
Wallimann T, Tokarska-Schlattner M, Schlattner U
Published in Molecular Aspects of Medicine
Abstract
Comprehensive review of creatine metabolism and its roles in health and disease, including energy metabolism and cellular protection.
Methodology
Comprehensive review of creatine and phosphocreatine biochemistry, the creatine kinase energy shuttle, and creatine supplementation across muscle, brain, cardiac and disease contexts.
Key Findings
Creatine and creatine kinase form an energy buffering and transport system that stabilises cellular ATP in tissues with high and fluctuating energy demand, notably skeletal muscle, heart and brain. Beyond ergogenic effects, the review describes antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and membrane-stabilising actions, and covers evidence for creatine in creatine-deficiency syndromes, neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disease, and muscle wasting. Oral creatine reliably raises intramuscular phosphocreatine.
Conclusions
Creatine is established as a safe and effective agent for increasing muscle phosphocreatine and performance, has proven value in inborn creatine deficiency syndromes, and has mechanistically plausible but clinically unconfirmed potential in neurological and cardiac disease.
Limitations
Narrative review without systematic search or pooled estimates; combines strong human ergogenic evidence with speculative therapeutic extrapolations from cell and animal models; clinical trials in neurodegenerative disease conducted since publication have largely been negative.
Supplements Studied
Creatine in health and disease.
Outcomes Measured
Creatine in health and disease.
Creatine and creatine kinase form an energy buffering and transport system that stabilises cellular ATP in tissues with high and fluctuating energy demand, notably skeletal muscle, heart and brain. Beyond ergogenic effects, the review describes antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and membrane-stabilising actions, and covers evidence for creatine in creatine-deficiency syndromes, neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disease, and muscle wasting. Oral creatine reliably raises intramuscular phosphocreatine.
Study Details
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