Resistance Exercise and Creatine Supplementation on Fat Mass in Adults < 50 Years of Age: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Darren G Candow, Konstantinos Prokopidis, Scott C Forbes, Flavia Rusterholz, Bill I Campbell, Sergej M Ostojic

Journal: Nutrients 2023;15(20):4343

PMID: 37892421

Plain Language Summary

Increased body fat in young adults is leading to the development of health complications in later life. The use of resistance exercise in combination with creatinine has been shown to decrease body fat in people over the age of 55. However, it is unclear as to whether this combination would have the same result in those under 55 years. This systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 randomised control trials with 266 individuals aimed to review the data on the use of creatinine and resistance exercise in individuals less than 55 years of age. The results showed that compared to resistance exercise alone, creatinine supplementation did not impact absolute fat mass, but did decrease body fat percentage over time. When in combination with resistance exercise individuals had a very small but significant reduction in body fat percentage, but absolute fat mass remained unaffected. It was concluded that in adults under the age of 50, a combination of resistance exercise and creatinine decreased body fat percentage but had no effect on absolute fat mass. This study could be used by healthcare professionals to understand that creatinine and resistance exercise may have a very small benefit on body fat percentage, however the cost of supplementation may outweigh the benefits.

Abstract

The combination of resistance exercise and creatine supplementation has been shown to decrease body fat percentage in adults ≥ 50 years of age. However, the effect on adults < 50 years of age is currently unknown. To address this limitation, we systematically reviewed the literature and performed several meta-analyses comparing studies that included resistance exercise and creatine supplementation to resistance exercise and placebo on fat mass and body fat percentage Twelve studies were included, involving 266 participants. Adults (<50 years of age) who supplemented with creatine and performed resistance exercise experienced a very small, yet significant reduction in body fat percentage (-1.19%, = 0.006); however, no difference was found in absolute fat mass (-0.18 kg, = 0.76). Collectively, in adults < 50 years of age, the combination of resistance exercise and creatine supplementation produces a very small reduction in body fat percentage without a corresponding decrease in absolute fat mass.

Address: Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada.; Department of Musculoskeletal and Ageing Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK.; Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education, Brandon University, Brandon, MB R7A 6A9, Canada.; College of Education, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.; Department of Nutrition and Public Health, University of Agder, 4630 Kristiansand, Norway.

DOI: 10.3390/nu15204343