Well just when you thought creatine was done....it may be about to deliver again!
We know that creatine is great for our brain and bone health along with our muscle gains, and is perfectly safe to use.
It's long been touted as the most researched supplement so it's no wonder we keep learning more.
And when this fresh batch of research is done - we might also discover that creatine is very useful for pregnant mothers and their newborns.
Creatine and Pregnancy
For a little while now, creatine has been showing positive signs indicating it has "many actions likely to benefit the fetus and newborn" (1).
Research has found the foetus relies on the placenta to provide creatine until late pregnancy, and that taking creatine can greatly improve offspring survival after birth asphyxia by protecting organs from the encounter of oxygen deprivation.
And now we read about a new study with another step in the right direction; suggesting the humble muscle building and performance supplement could in fact prevent the birth of dangerously small babies and reduce the chances of death or a brain injury.
But the researchers are still not 100% sure despite their positive findings.
The scientists from Australia suggest that creatine does boost the size of a baby and thus the chances of it surviving, and they've found that women with lower levels of creatine are having smaller babies. And it's these findings have since sparked a world-first study to determine optimal levels.
So in moving forward, the researchers will measure the levels of creatine in maternal and umbilical blood and in the placentas of 900 women.
Ritchie centre lead researcher Dr Hayley Dickinson has said:
“We found for the first time that a mother’s creatine levels affect the growth of her baby in the womb...being born small increases the risk of developmental challenges, and an undetected small baby is one of the leading causes of stillbirth.”
Dr Dickinson adds that if creatine is found to be the catalyst for growth restriction, then "we can look at putting more creatine into the diet of these women who have had previous stillborn or low-weight babies, and we may be able to turn it around."
So the humble muscle building supplement may in fact be one women use in pregnancy, but in the meantime, Dr Dickinson is encouraging women to eat meat and fish during pregnancy to at least obtain basic levels of creatine until further notice.
Dr Dickinson's findings have been published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Watch this space!
"Stay Fit, Stay Flexed!"
Reference
(1) Dickinson H, Ellery S, Ireland Z, LeRosa D, Snow R, Walker DW. Creatine supplementation during pregnancy: summary of experimental studies suggesting a treatment to improve fetal and neonatal morbidity and reduce mortality in high-risk human pregnancy. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2014 Apr 27;14:150. doi: 10.1186/1471-2393-14-150.
Author
Dayne Hudson