Creatine Supplements For Muscular Dystrophy

There is no cure for muscular dystrophy -or is there? Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a group of genetic diseases characterized by progressive muscle weakening that gradually hampers a person from doing simple things such as walking or sitting up. This condition is due to incorrect or missing information in their genes that prevents them from synthesizing protein necessary for muscle growth and development. Just imagine, not being able to walk, run or even play sports and depending for wheelchairs and leg braces to be able to move around, what a depressing situation that would be. Interestingly enough, new studies have found promising outcomes for patients suffering with MD through creatine supplements.

Creatine supplements are popular merchandise within the circle of bodybuilders, athletes and fitness buffs as it is known to amp muscle building process. It acts within the body by loading the muscles with ATP, the key fuel for muscle contraction; it further operates as reservoir for phosphates needed for ATP conversion while all the while preventing protein breakdown. This sport supplement is also well known for its antioxidant property, much needed for muscle repair and rebuilding due to intense damage, by opposing the production of free radicals. Likewise, sufferers from MD usually have low levels of creatine kinase concentration in their muscles; this may have prompt several studies to establish a connection with supplementation of creatine and improvement of MD symptoms.

Improving Muscle Strength

An appraisal published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews indicated that supplementation with this product is well tolerated and that short-term and medium-term treatment improves muscle strength in subjects with muscle dystrophy. Sounds promising, right? The review consisted of twelve studies involving 266 subjects with varying MD conditions; they received supplementation for three to six months. The result of the study showed that subjects taking these sport supplements have an average increase of 8.5% in muscle strength and 1.4kg of lean body mass gain compared to those who did not received supplementation after all. The findings may have been meek but it is something worth considering at. On another note, one case study was conducted on a 9-year old boy with MD supplemented with creatine for five months; remarkably enough, he was able to enhance his sense of balance and was able to increase his walking distance says Austrian researchers who conducted the study. Moreover, a research performed in Belgium in boys with MD concluded that subject who received creatine for three months has increased muscle strength by 15% and also exhibited resistance to fatigue. Another randomized study performed showed that after 8-weeks of creatine supplementation, patients illustrated a mild but significant increase in muscle strength and an appreciable improvement in their ability to do activities of daily living.

Targeting Osteoporosis

Sufferers from MD may also exhibit osteoporosis as a combined result of decreased mobility, muscle weakness and steroid treatment, in which the end effect would be, reduces bone mineral density and subsequent bone degradation. The same research conducted in Belgium also showed that subjects who were able to walk at the beginning of the study have improved bone mineral density by 3%. In addition, this finding was confirmed when biochemical markers for bone degradation showed a reduction by two-thirds percent. Another larger study conducted in Canada on 30 male patients demonstrated that bone degradation was decreased and that hand grip strength improved in patients with MD.

Up to now, there is still no known cure for muscle dystrophy. Sufferers continue to suffer each day with progressive crippling and inability to function as a normal person would do. However, in this continued battle against MD, one thing showed us a new light and a little hope that somehow supplementation may improve the quality of life among MD patients.

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