Muscle Creatine Loading in Men: High-Dose 6-Day vs Low-Dose 28-Day Regimens
Hultman E, Söderlund K, Timmons JA, Cederblad G, Greenhaff PL
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Summary
A foundational mechanistic study in 31 healthy men examining, via muscle biopsy, how different creatine intake protocols affect muscle total creatine concentration. There is no mention of randomization or a placebo control; it compares rapid loading (20 g/day for 6 days, then 2 g/day for 30 days as maintenance) against a no-loading protocol of 3 g/day for 28 days. Both protocols increased muscle total creatine concentration by a similar amount (approximately 20%), reaching the same final level. Continuing at 2 g/day after loading maintained the elevated concentration, but it returned to baseline within 30 days of stopping supplementation.
Key findings
- 1
Rapid loading at 20 g/day for 6 days increased muscle total creatine concentration by approximately 20%
- 2
A no-loading protocol of 3 g/day for 28 days reached a similar ~20% increase, with no significant difference in final concentration
- 3
Continuing at 2 g/day after loading maintained the elevated concentration, but it returned to pre-supplementation levels within 30 days of cessation
- 4
No randomization or placebo control is described; this is a mechanistic study comparing muscle-biopsy outcomes across intake protocols
- 5
Conducted in 31 healthy men; caution is warranted extrapolating to women, older adults, or different training states
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