Dirk-Jan de Bruin - Health & CrossFit

Creatine Monohydrate

Pro:

Health:
Low-dose creatine supplementation enhances fatigue resistance in the absence of weight gain.

Creatine monohydrate increases bone mineral density in young sprague-dawley rats

Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on serum myostatin and GASP-1.

Long-term creatine supplementation is safe in aged patients with Parkinson disease.

Effect of creatine supplementation during cast-induced immobilization on the preservation of muscle mass, strength, and endurance.

Effects of creatine supplementation on renal function: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Creatine for treating muscle disorders

Sports:
Effects of two and five days of creatine loading on muscular strength and anaerobic power in trained athletes.

The effects of creatine loading on thermoregulation and intermittent sprint exercise performance in a hot humid environment.

Impact of differing protein sources and a creatine containing nutritional formula after 12 weeks of resistance training.

Combined creatine and sodium bicarbonate supplementation enhances interval swimming.

Cramping and Injury Incidence in Collegiate Football Players Are Reduced by Creatine Supplementation.

Mind/sleep/psychological:
Effect of creatine supplementation and sleep deprivation, with mild exercise, on cognitive and psychomotor performance, mood state, and plasma concentrations of catecholamines and cortisol.

Chronic Creatine Supplementation Alters Depression-like Behavior in Rodents in a Sex-Dependent Manner

Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial.

Creatine monohydrate in resistant depression: a preliminary study.

Longetivity:
Creatine improves health and survival of mice.

Geriatrics/Elderly:
Effects of creatine supplementation on the onset of neuromuscular fatigue threshold and muscle strength in elderly men and women (64 - 86 years)

General/misc Creatine research:
Creatine supplementation during college football training does not increase the incidence of cramping or injury.

International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: creatine supplementation and exercise

Non-effective
Creatine supplementation does not improve cognitive function in young adults.

Con:
Main concearns found in various studies are the unknown long-term effects. Also various documents report altered insulin levels.
A recent publication also noticed increased DHT levels in college rugby playing during a short-term trial.
Endocrinological changes can have a high impact on the body.

Although the exact workings are not fully understood, DHT is also involved in Male Patterned Baldness and increased prostate.

I will be adding more notes regarding DHT research.

General Endocrinology/Resistance Training research:
Effects of Age on Serum Hormone Concentrations and Intramuscular Proteolytic Signaling Before and After a Single Bout of Resistance Training.

Testosterone physiology in resistance exercise and training: the up-stream regulatory elements.

Effects of a purported aromatase and 5α-reductase inhibitor on hormone profiles in college-age men.

Acute and cumulative effects of focused high-frequency vibrations on the endocrine system and muscle strength.

Effect of Exercise on Serum Sex Hormones in Men: A 12-Month Randomized Clinical Trial

Effect of Exercise on Serum Sex Hormones in Men: Discussion

Other:
Developing maximal neuromuscular power: Part 1 - biological basis of maximal power production.

Arginine
Bolus Arginine Supplementation Affects neither Muscle Blood Flow nor Muscle Protein Synthesis in Young Men at Rest or After Resistance Exercise. (J Nutr. 2010 Dec 29)

Effects of arginine-based supplements on the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 May 24

Arginine and ornithine supplementation increases growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 serum levels after heavy-resistance exercise in strength-trained athletes. (J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Apr 24)

Investigation of the effects of oral supplementation of arginine in the increase of muscular strength and mass (does not seem to be accepted by any populair magazines)

Fish oil
Fish oil is a widely accepted supplement, recommended by both trainers and health professional.
I will be adding some of the research showing the benefits.

Cardiac effects:

Pro:
Fish Consumption and Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death (research regarding the consumption of fish, not fish oil supplements).

Conclusion.— These prospective data suggest that consumption of fish at least once per week may reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death in men.

Con:
Potential adverse reaction among patients with a recent episode of sustained ventricular arrhythmia and an ICD, fish oil supplementation does not reduce the risk of VT/VF and may be proarrhythmic in some patients.

Mark Tellon mentions an animal study in which DHA seems to lower carnosine in skeletal muscle in infant pigs. The aim of the research was to see if dietary supplementation of cholesterol DHA acids affects concentrations of amino acid in the development of piglets. I wonder if any of this still applies to human adults.
Tellon mentions the DHA issue in relation with beta-alanine.

Biologist Ray Peat has his own dissenting view on Fish Oil, The Great Fish Oil Experiment.

Other links:

Still need to read the full text for this one using my university account:
Fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids in cardiovascular disease: do they really work?

MedlinePlus on Fish Oil

Beta-Alanine:
Pro:
Animal study, Amino Acids 2010, taurine & b-alanine. Conclusions: "..results suggested that taurine-supplemented diet had an antidepressant-like effect and beta-alanine-supplemented diet had an anxiolytic-like effect."

Effect of two β-alanine dosing protocols on muscle carnosine synthesis and washout., Amino Acids. 2011 Aug 17. [Epub ahead of print], Conclusion: In summary, the absolute increase in muscle carnosine is only dependent upon the total BA consumed and is not dependent upon baseline muscle carnosine, the muscle type, or the daily amount of supplemented BA.

The effect of beta-alanine supplementation on neuromuscular fatigue in elderly (55–92 Years): a double-blind randomized study, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2008, 5:21, Conclusion: We suggest that BA supplementation, by improving intracellular pH control, improves muscle endurance in the elderly. This, we believe, could have importance in the prevention of falls, and the maintenance of health and independent living in elderly men and women.

J Appl Physiol. 2009 Mar;106(3):837-42. Epub 2009 Jan 8.
Carnosine loading and washout in human skeletal muscles. Conclusion: The present study shows that washout periods for crossover designs in supplementation studies for muscle metabolites may sometimes require months rather than weeks.

Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2009, 6:5 , Effects of β-alanine supplementation and high-intensity interval training on endurance performance and body composition in men; a double-blind trial. Conclusion:
The use of HIIT to induce significant aerobic improvements is effective and efficient. Chronic BA supplementation may further enhance HIIT, improving endurance performance and lean body mass.

Con:
Dissenting opinion regarding the use of beta-alanine for fitness by Bryan Chung. (my personal note regarding Chung's blog: Indeed I agree there are many methodological errors in food & fitness studies. Heck, there are methodological errors in almost ALL academic research for many MANY reasons. And yes, this is a serious issue. But what I cannot believe is that someone who claims to have such a critical attitude and advocates a 'more is less' attitude towards fitness seems to practice mega-commercial food (Eat Stop Eat) and training programs (Adonis Index)... Just looking at these pages raises all my red flags.

Amino Acids. 2008 May;34(4):547-54. Epub 2008 Jan 4.
The effects of 10 weeks of resistance training combined with beta-alanine supplementation on whole body strength, force production, muscular endurance and body composition.
Conclusion: There was no significant effect of beta-ala supplementation on any of the exercise parameters measured, mass or % body fat. In conclusion, 10 weeks of resistance training alone did not change M-[Carn].

Tryptophan

Con:

Mech Ageing Dev. 1976 Mar-Apr;5(2):109-24., Patho-physiologic findings after chronic tryptophan deficiency in rats: a model for delayed growth and aging.

Aktuelle Gerontol. 1977 Oct;7(10):535-8., Long-term tryptophan restriction and aging in the rat.

Mech Ageing Dev. 1976 Mar-Apr;5(2):109-24., Patho-physiologic findings after chronic tryptophan deficiency in rats: a model for delayed growth and aging.

Mech Ageing Dev. 1978 Jan;7(1):1-17. Neural and endocrine development after chronic tryptophan deficiency in rats: I. Brain monoamine and pituitary responses.

Neurobiol Aging. 1984 Fall;5(3):235-42. Lifetime brain serotonin: regional effects of age and precursor availability.

Other:
Leucine & Tyrosine & Tryptophan. Metabolism. 1977 Feb;26(2):207-23. Effects on the diet on brain neurotransmitters.

Experientia Suppl. 1983;44:356-69. Food consumption, neurotransmitter synthesis, and human behaviour

Protein, tryptophane, carb consumption. Physiol Behav. 2009 Aug 4;98(1-2):156-62. Epub 2009 May 18.
Meal ingestion, amino acids and brain neurotransmitters: effects of dietary protein source on serotonin and catecholamine synthesis rates.

Am J Clin Nutr. 1995 Feb;61(2):312-9.
Brain tryptophan concentrations and serotonin synthesis remain responsive to food consumption after the ingestion of sequential meals.

Biologist Ray Peat on Tryptophan, Seratonine, and aging: