Micronutrients & recovery
Creatine monohydrate supplementation (5g/day) combined with resistance training significantly enhances fat-free mass and isometric strength gains in older adults compared to resistance training alone.
If you are over 65 and doing resistance training, adding 5 grams of creatine monohydrate daily can help you gain more muscle mass and strength than exercise alone. This is particularly effective for improving leg strength (knee extension) and functional measures like chair stands. It is safe and does not cause significant side effects in this population.
CrM supplementation resulted in significantly greater increases in fat-free mass and total body mass, as compared with placebo... The CrM group also showed a greater increase in isometric knee extension strength in men and women... and also greater gains in isometric dorsiflexion strength... but in men only.
Why this rating
Double-blind, randomized controlled trial with objective measures (DEXA, muscle biopsy), though sample size is moderate (n=28).
Source
Creatine Supplementation Enhances Isometric Strength and Body Composition Improvements Following Strength Exercise Training in Older Adults
Andrea Brose et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2003
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