Reprinted from "The Bull" bi-weekly publication of Bulk Nutrition
By Karl Hoffman
Alpha Lipoic Acid increases Creatine uptake
Both alpha lipoic acid (ALA) and creatine monohydrate have become staple supplements for athletes and bodybuilders. The former has been shown in a number of studies to increase glucose uptake into skeletal muscle. The benefit of this is clear to athletes, since a portion of the extra glucose taken up in the presence of ALA will be stored as glycogen for use as fuel for working muscles, helping to stave off fatigue.
The ergogenic effect of creatine is believed to be due to an increase in intracellular phosphocreatine concentrations and to increased phosphocreatine and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) resynthesis rates (1,2).
Phosphocreatine and ATP are the body’s so called "energy currency". When foodstuffs are consumed, the food is converted ultimately into ATP and phosphcreatine, which are used to fuel the body’s metabolic processes. Creatine may exert other anabolic effects as well. In one study myotubes, the basic building blocks of muscle tissue, were incubated in a medium containing creatine (3). It was observed that the addition of creatine led to an increase in insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) as well as other so called myogenic regulatory factors (MRF). Both IGF-1 and MRF contribute to muscle hypertrophy, and this may be a contributing factor to the strength gains seen with creatine supplementation.
Yet a third phenomenon may be responsible for the ergogenic effects of creatine. The force of contraction of skeletal muscle is a function of intracellular calcium ion concentration. Potassium ion (K+) concentration on the other hand dampens the contractile response to Ca (2+) ions.
Green et.al. (5) showed that creatine uptake was 60% greater when creatine was consumed along with a carbohydrate compared to creatine consumed alone. Carbohydrate ingestion elevates insulin, and it is believed that the combination of insulin and simultaneous glucose transport into muscle tissue is responsible for the increased uptake of creatine.
Creatine is well known as a cell volumizer; water enters the cell along with creatine. This dilutes the K+ concentration allowing for a greater contractile response to calcium ions (4).
Green et.al. (5) showed that creatine uptake was 60% greater when creatine was consumed along with a carbohydrate compared to creatine consumed alone. Carbohydrate ingestion elevates insulin, and it is believed that the combination of insulin and simultaneous glucose transport into muscle tissue is responsible for the increased uptake of creatine. The amount of carbohydrate found by Green et.al required to maximize creatine uptake was 100 grams per 5 grams of creatine. This is a considerable amount of carbohydrate.
Since ALA has been shown to enhance glucose transport into muscle tissue, this prompted the authors of the current paper under discussion (6) to ask whether the consumption of ALA along with creatine and much smaller amounts of carbohydrate (to stimulate insulin secretion) might enhance creatine uptake. If so, this would avoid the excess carbohydrate calories required to maximize creatine uptake. This would benefit individuals with glucose intolerance or those people on a cutting cycle or ketogenic diet wishing to minimize carbohydrate consumption.
In the current study (6), the authors took 20 males 18-32 years of age who characterized themselves as recreational weightlifters, training moderately 3 times per week, and randomly assigned them to one of three groups. One group ingested 4 x 5 gm/day of creatine monohydrate alone (CR). The second group ingested 4 x 5 gm/day creatine plus 4 x 25 gm/day sucrose (CRS). The third group ingested 4 x 5 gm/day creatine, 4 x 25 gm/day sucrose, and 4 x 250 mg/day of ALA (CRSLA). The subjects were put on this regimen for seven days.
All subjects experienced significant weight gain after the 7-day period, averaging 1.7 kg, with no significant differences between the groups. Muscle biopsies were taken and total creatine and phosphocreatine were measured in each group. In the creatine and creatine plus sucrose groups there was no significant increase in either parameter. This is not surprising since the amount of sucrose ingested per gram of creatine was much less than the amount studies have shown necessary to enhance creatine uptake.
However, the creatine/sucrose/ALA group showed significant increases in both phosphocreatine and total creatine content in the skeletal muscle.
Alpha lipoic acid, when ingested with creatine and small amounts of carbohydrate significantly increases total intracellular creatine content as well as phosphocreatine content.
Phosphocreatine, the active form of creatine in that it is a store for high-energy phosphate, increased by approximately 20%. Total creatine content increased by about 15%.
Alpha lipoic acid, when ingested with creatine and small amounts of carbohydrate significantly increases total intracellular creatine content as well as phosphocreatine content. Since many chemical agents used by bodybuilders and athletes, including anabolic steroids, growth hormone, and thyroid hormone promote hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, the use of ALA with creatine allows for much lower carbohydrate intake and may well benefit those athletes with glucose intolerance.
1) Casey A, Constantin-Teodosiu D, Howell S, Hultman E, Greenhaff PL. Creatine ingestion favorably affects performance and muscle metabolism during maximal exercise in humans Am J Physiol. 1996 Jul;271(1 Pt 1):E31-7
2) Greenhaff PL, Bodin K, Soderlund K, Hultman E. Effect of oral creatine supplementation on skeletal muscle phosphocreatine resynthesis. Am J Physiol 1994 May;266(5 Pt 1):E725-30
3) Louis M, Van Beneden R, Dehoux M, Thissen JP, Francaux M. Creatine increases IGF-I and myogenic regulatory factor mRNA in C(2)C(12) cells. FEBS Lett. 2004 Jan 16;557(1-3):243-7.
4) Murphy RM, Stephenson DG, Lamb GD. Effect of creatine on contractile force and sensitivity in mechanically -skinned single fibers from rat skeletal muscle. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2004 Jul 2
5) Green AL, Simpson EJ, Littlewood JJ, Macdonald IA, Greenhaff PL. Carbohydrate ingestion augments creatine retention during creatine feeding in humans. Acta Physiol Scand. 1996 Oct;158(2):195-202 6) Burke DG, Chilibeck PD, Parise G, Tarnopolsky MA, Candow DG. Effect of alpha-lipoic acid combined with creatine monohydrate on human skeletal muscle creatine and phosphagen concentration. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2003 Sep;13(3):294-302
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