Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007 May.
Creatine Monohydrate Increases Bone Mineral Density in Young Sprague-Dawley Rats.
Antolic A, Roy BD, Tarnopolsky MA, Zernicke RF, Wohl GR, Shaughnessy SG, Bourgeois JM.
1Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, CANADA; 2Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, CANADA; 3Faculties of Kinesiology, Engineering, and Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, CANADA; and 4Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, CANADA.

INTRODUCTION: Creatine kinase, found in osteoblasts, is an enzyme that is upregulated in response to interventions that enhance bone mass accretion. Creatine monohydrate supplementation can increase fat-free mass in young healthy men and women and can reduce markers of bone breakdown in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to determine the influence of supplementation with creatine monohydrate on bone structure and function in growing rats, to establish a therapeutic model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Creatine monohydrate (2% w.w.) (CR; N = 16) or standard rat chow (CON; N = 16) was fed to Sprague-Dawley rats beginning at 5 wk of age, for 8 wk. Bone mineral density (BMD) and content (BMC) were assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at the beginning and end of the protocol. The rats were sacrificed, and one femur was removed for the determination of mechanical properties. RESULTS: The CR-treated rats showed greater lumbar BMD and femoral bending load at failure compared with the CON rats (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Together, these data suggest that creatine monohydrate potentially has a beneficial influence on bone function and structure; further investigation is warranted into its effect on bone functional properties and its effects in disorders associated with bone loss.

Categories: 2007, Creatine, Bone mineral density