Nutraceuticals and nootropics for anti-aging

Creatine supplements suggested for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Creatine supplements have become controversial in recent years, thanks to a large group of sports writers who are willing to sensationalize any subject if they think it will appeal to their readers’ biases. Creatine is an amino acid made by the body on a daily basis but in differing amounts in different people. Muscle cells maintain a reservoir of creatine and its derivative, phosphocreatine; the phosphocreatine reservoir can be drawn upon rapidly when muscles contract. The phosphate in phosphocreatine is used to make ATP, the biological world’s main energy transfer molecule.

Creatine supplements have been shown to be effective in increasing muscle strength, improving endurance and delaying fatigue. Creatine is now being suggested as an antidote to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Work at Temple University has confirmed what was suspected from previous studies: that creatine helps to regulate the activity of mitochondria — the organelles responsible for extracting energy from fats and sugars and storing it in ATP molecules. Researcher Sinclair Smith suggests that creatine could prove useful in treating CFS.

Link to news story:

Could Creatine Kick Fatigue?

Link to the research study (the abstract doesn’t mention CFS):

Use of phosphocreatine kinetics to determine the influence of creatine on muscle mitochondrial respiration: an in vivo 31P-MRS study of oral creatine ingestion.

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LifeLink carries creatine in 500 gram jars.