Creatine Supplements May Benefit Vegetarians

Nowadays, more and more people are embracing health consciousness, from lifestyle selection down to food choices. In terms of food and nutrition, some favor the organic or as what others may call it the natural or simply, the vegan diet which is one of the most popular food lifestyle with increasing follower of pile populace growing by the minute. Truly, being a vegetarian has its fair share of advantages but for fitness enthusiasts looking forward to gain muscles, being a vegan may be a downside especially when dealing with a known energy booster found only in meats. Not to worry though for this can be remedied with creatine supplements.

If you are a vegetarian and a bodybuilder at the same time, problems may arise. Creatine, a naturally occurring substance in the body is responsible for boosting energy levels needed by the muscle cells. Normally, this substance is supplied in our body through foods such as lean meats, fish and other animal products. In average persons this isn't a problem but in vegetarians, this poses a possible dilemma since it has been known that they possess lower levels of this compound in their skeletal muscle cells compared in those group consuming meat products. This is where sport supplementation comes in. Creatine supplements, a high-intensity athletic aid, may also benefit vegetarians says a Canadian study. The result has been cited after an 8-week resistance training program consisting of 42 subjects, aging 19-55, 18 of which are vegetarian. Using muscle biopsy samples, creatine baseline levels were significantly lower than the non-vegan subjects at the beginning of the study. However, after supplementation, vegetarians experienced greater increase in creatine levels, lean muscle mass gains and heightened work performance compared to the non-vegetarians. This is not surprising though, given that they have reduced consumption of meat, it is somewhat expected that their muscles will be able to accommodate greater levels of the supplements, absorb and utilize it better.

Moreover, bodybuilding supplementation with this product may perk up cognition and brain functions in vegetarians reported by a study. In 2003, a double blind placebo-controlled study consisting of 27 lacto-ovo vegetarians and 18 vegan students found out that supplementation of creatine monohydrates of about 5g per day resulted to a better mental sharpness in just a total of six weeks supplementation. In addition, in a review published in the Journal of Nutrition, 121 vegetarians and omnivores young women were chosen and randomly assigned to a group receiving either placebo or 20 g per day of monohydrates supplements for five days. After series of cognitive function tests performed as baseline and evaluative tool, the study concluded that improved memory have been shown to increase as high as 40 percent in vegetarians receiving the sport supplements compared to the placebo group. Likewise, another noteworthy study was conducted using the same supplements on sleep deprived individuals. Turned out, supplementation did not only boost brain function but enhance the mood as well.

Similarly, a research led by a British group conducted parallel studies on creatine's effect on the mental function, only this time with elderly subjects over 60 years of age. The result was quite predictable and promising and protein supplementation did enhance cognitive functions in elderly as well.

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