Tam Ryan, Mitchell Lachlan, Forsyth Adrienne
Discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Blacktown 2148, Australia.
Discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, North Sydney 2060, Australia.
Nutrients. 2025 Jan 10;17(2):238. doi: 10.3390/nu17020238.
The use of creatine as a dietary supplement is widespread. However, its reported performance benefit has been largely demonstrated in male populations. The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of creatine supplementation in improving exercise performance in active females. A secondary aim was to appraise the quality of research in this area. Five databases were searched from the earliest record to July 2024. Eligible studies used supplemental creatine as an intervention with physically active female participants and reported an exercise performance-related outcome. Study quality was appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program randomised controlled trials checklist with four additional items related to methodological considerations for research with active females. Performance outcomes were categorised as strength/power, anaerobic, or aerobic. Of the 10,563 records identified, 27 studies were included. Participant calibre ranged from recreationally active to elite. Creatine interventions ranged from five days to 12 weeks and included a range of dosage strategies. Compared to placebo, 3/11 studies showed an improvement in strength/power outcomes, 4/17 showed an improvement in anaerobic outcomes, and 1/5 showed an improvement in aerobic outcomes. Study quality varied, but methodological considerations for research with female athletes were poorly addressed by most studies. Although some benefits were reported, most studies showed no improvement in performance compared to placebo. The heterogeneity in participant characteristics, performance tests, creatine intervention, insufficient consideration of the unique physiological characteristics of females, and an overall small evidence base limits our understanding of how creatine supplementation influences physical performance in active females.
肌酸作为膳食补充剂的使用非常普遍。然而，其所谓的性能益处主要在男性群体中得到了证实。本研究旨在评估补充肌酸对提高活跃女性运动表现的有效性。次要目的是评估该领域的研究质量。检索了五个数据库，时间跨度从最早记录到2024年7月。符合条件的研究使用补充肌酸作为干预措施，参与者为身体活跃的女性，并报告了与运动表现相关的结果。使用批判性评估技能计划随机对照试验清单以及与活跃女性研究方法学考虑相关的另外四个项目对研究质量进行评估。运动表现结果分为力量/功率、无氧或有氧三类。在确定的10563条记录中，纳入了27项研究。参与者的水平从休闲活跃到精英不等。肌酸干预时间从五天到12周不等，包括一系列剂量策略。与安慰剂相比，11项研究中有3项显示力量/功率结果有所改善，17项研究中有4项显示无氧结果有所改善，5项研究中有1项显示有氧结果有所改善。研究质量各不相同，但大多数研究对女性运动员研究的方法学考虑都很少涉及。尽管报告了一些益处，但与安慰剂相比，大多数研究显示运动表现没有改善。参与者特征、性能测试、肌酸干预的异质性，对女性独特生理特征的考虑不足，以及总体证据基础较小，限制了我们对补充肌酸如何影响活跃女性身体表现的理解。
