Having a low-cost gym staple for eight weeks could be the unsuspecting key to helping Alzheimer’s patients
Creatine could become an unlikely treatment option for Alzheimer’s patients as early evidence from a new study revealed the extent of benefits it offers in just eight weeks. Published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal, the new research found creatine preserved muscle strength and size for Alzheimer’s patients.
The effect Alzhiemer’s disease has on a person’s mental health is well known, but it can also take a toll on the physical body both as a direct symptom of its progression or because of the other issues it causes. Some prior studies have even found muscular dysfunction could be an early warning sign before the cognitive impairment begins to deteriorate according to News Medical.
Having weak muscles, particularly at an older age, can cause a range of further issues like making people more likely to fall and injure themselves. They may also experience more difficulty during everyday activities, stiffness or pain all of which are worsened even further by other Alzheimer’s symptoms.
Scientists at the University of Kansas theorised that changing muscle strength and size could cause a domino effect improving all of these other symptoms and issues in Alzheimer’s patients. Creatine is made to help build muscle strength and size, making it a favourite among gym goers allowing them to do more during their workout.
But, the effects of creatine on Alzheimer’s patients specifically has never been studied before this pilot trial. It followed 20 participants, all between the ages of 60 and 90, who had been clinically diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s disease.
They were told to take 10 gram doses of creatine supplement every day for eight weeks. At the start and end of this period, researchers measured the participant’s hand grip strength, did a lower-body assessment, muscle size and thickness assessment.
The group reported no signs of withdrawal and on average participants were 90% compliant with the creatine supplementation plan. At the end of the eight weeks, handgrip strength had increased from 33.5kg to 35.5kg on average.
Hand grip strength is often directly linked to quality of life and mortality risk in older adults as it represents their ability to be independent and catch themselves if they were to fall. However, BMI, waist circumference and percentage of lean body mass had no significant changes.
In some areas of the body, subcutaneous fat levels decreased and the muscle cross-sectional area increased in the legs for those who had the lower body assessment.
Overall, the researchers found having creatine had modest benefits for the skeletal muscle structure in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. They also suggested that the increased hand grip strength could offset the accelerated muscle loss these patients usually experience.
They concluded: “This eight-week pilot trial suggests that 20 g/day of CrM may provide modest skeletal muscle benefits in patients with AD. These data provide preliminary evidence to warrant further investigation of the potential for CrM to prevent AD-related decline in muscle function.”
They urged for more research into creatine supplements as a potential key to prevent Alzheimer’s related decline in muscle function. But they also warned that these early findings should not be treated as definitive evidence as the study was limited due to the small participant group and some protocol changes made mid-study.
