Creatine for Cardio?

Everyone knows that creatine is simply awesome for building muscle, and that cardio is essential for good strong cardiovascular health and speedy recovery from brutal workouts. But have you ever wondered what the effect of creatine and cardio together would be? Scientists did, so they set out to find out.

Scientists divided subjects into two groups: a group taking creatine and a group taking a placebo. Neither the study participants nor the researchers themselves knew which group was actually getting dosed with creatine. Both groups did an intense cardio program for 11 weeks, with three cardio sessions per week, each lasting for 45 minutes. The scientists were testing to see the effects of creatine on cardiovascular health, as measured by plasma lipid profiles.

At the end of the study, researchers found that the plasma lipid profile did not change in any of the study participants. In other words, creatine supplementation did not have any benefit for cardiovascular exercise beyond the benefit of cardio alone.

So here’s your FUSION FACTOID: Creatine is great for building muscle, and some evidence suggests that it may even help you use oxygen better. But, the verdict is in: It doesn’t help you get extra health or performance benefits beyond the ones you would get from cardio alone. Stick to using creatine for what it does best: building muscle!

Source: Gualano B, et al. Does creatine supplementation improve the plasma lipid profile in healthy male subjects undergoing aerobic training? J Int Soc Sports Nut. 2008 Oct 3;5:16.