Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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08.08.2011 |
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Fenugreek improves effect of creatine more than carbs
Athletes absorb creatine better when they combine it with 50-100 g fast carbohydrates. But not all strength athletes want the carbs: even if you take them close to a training session, fast carbs are still just empty calories. American sports scientists at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor have come up with an alternative: fenugreek with creatine works just as well as glucose and creatine.
How to enhance the effect of creatine
In 2000 British scientists discovered that a mix of 50 g protein and 50 g fast carbohydrates stimulated the creatine uptake in muscles as effectively as 100 g carbs. [Am J Physiol. 1996 Nov;271(5 Pt 1):E821-6.] This solution is already an improvement, but not enough to convince strength athletes who want to avoid carbohydrates.
Supplements manufacturers are constantly on the lookout for creatine combinations that work better than creatine alone. So far there are few creatine-plus products that come out well in tests. One exception is the combination of alpha-lipoic acid and creatine [even though opinions are divided on this]. [Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2003 Sep;13(3):294-302.] But most of the improved creatine combinations land up in what supplements expert Will Brink has called The Creatine Graveyard.
Study
The placebo group were given 70 g glucose dissolved in water to drink. [PL] A second group got the same but with 5 g creatine added [CRD]. A third group was given 3.5 g creatine in capsules and 900 mg fenugreek extract also in capsule form. [CRF]
T1 = before the experiment started; T2 = after four weeks; T3 = after eight weeks. BP = bench press; LP = leg press.
Results
Conclusion
Mechanism
Fenugreek slows down the rate at which food moves through the digestive tract. As a result the small intestine absorbs more creatine. Fenugreek also ensures that the body's glucose level remains constant and that the muscles’ sensitivity to insulin increases. And therefore the muscle cells absorb more creatine.
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