title: Creatine monohydrate increases bone mineral density in young Sprague-Dawley rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Creatine kinase, found in osteoblasts, is an enzyme that is upregulated in response to interventions that enhance bone mass accretion. Creatine monohydrate supplementation can increase fat-free mass in young healthy men and women and can reduce markers of bone breakdown in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to determine the influence of supplementation with creatine monohydrate on bone structure and function in growing rats, to establish a therapeutic model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Creatine monohydrate (2% w.w.) (CR; N = 16) or standard rat chow (CON; N = 16) was fed to Sprague-Dawley rats beginning at 5 wk of age, for 8 wk. Bone mineral density (BMD) and content (BMC) were assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at the beginning and end of the protocol. The rats were sacrificed, and one femur was removed for the determination of mechanical properties.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CR-treated rats showed greater lumbar BMD and femoral bending load at failure compared with the CON rats (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Together, these data suggest that creatine monohydrate potentially has a beneficial influence on bone function and structure; further investigation is warranted into its effect on bone functional properties and its effects in disorders associated with bone loss.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
authors.forename: Anamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antolic
authors.forename: Brian D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Tarnopolsky
authors.forename: Ronald F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Zernicke
authors.forename: Gregory R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Wohl
authors.forename: Stephen G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Shaughnessy
authors.forename: Jacqueline M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bourgeois
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000818:Animals; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects*; D003401:Creatine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D008297:Male; D009864:Ontario; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D003401:Creatine