Aerobic training, but not creatine supplementation, alters the gluteus medius muscle.

This research study explores the impact of creatine supplementation on muscle responses to aerobic training in Arabian horses, with findings indicating that while aerobic training resulted in muscle alterations, creatine supplementation did not show any beneficial effects on the muscle traits examined.

Study Purpose and Overview

• The study’s primary objective was to examine the impact of creatine supplementation on muscle responses during aerobic training.
• Twelve purebred Arabian horses underwent aerobic training for 90 days, with the additional influence of creatine supplementation being measured and evaluated

Methodology

• Workout plans involved intensive treadmill training sessions, with the intensity determined by the speed at blood lactate levels reaching 4 mmol/L – a value observed on a monthly basis for each participating animal.
• Each horse was given a daily allocation of 75 grams of creatine monohydrate, mixed into their typical ration across the 90-day training period.
• Anaylsis was carried out on the morphology of gluteus medius muscle fibers using myosin adenosine triphosphatase and slow-contracting myosin after the muscle fibers have been processed for histochemical analysis.

Results and Findings

• Throughout the training period, the research observed that the horses maintained a moderate body condition score (BCS) without any alterations in body weight (BW), suggesting a balance between food intake and caloric output.
• The aerobic training resulted in hypertrophy – increased muscle mass – for Type I (P = 0.04), Type IIA (P = 0.04), and Type IIX (P = 0.01) fibers. An increase in the relative area of Type I fibers (P = 0.02) at the expense of Type IIX fibers (P = 0.03) was noted, leading to changes in the metabolic and contractile attributes of the gluteus medius muscle.
• Despite this, creatine supplementation appeared to have little to no beneficial impact on the skeletal muscle properties analyzed in this study.

Conclusion

• Overall, this research reaffirms the benefits of aerobic training in promoting muscle alterations specifically in Type I, Type IIA, and Type IIX fibers. However, it found that accompanying creatine supplementation does not contribute any significant enhancements to these muscle responses.