Does Fenugreek Increase Creatine Levels?

Fenugreek and Creatine Combined

In this article, we shall look to see what the studies have found regarding the effects of fenugreek on creatine absorption, and whether fenugreek plays a pivotal role in increasing creatine levels in the body.

If fenugreek does improve creatine absorption in to the skeletal muscle this can lead to impressive physical performance gains.

What is Fenugreek?

Fenugreek belongs to the peas family. Its scientific name, Trigonella foenum graecum reflects both its connection with Greek traditional medicine and trifoliate leaf shape.

Despite being used as a cooking ingredient around the globe, mainstream science has only recently looked into claims that it had medicinal properties.

Although the US Government Libraries have not approved the studies, the data is still strong.

This data indicates that fenugreek can help to increase the production of breastmilk, boost testosterone, and control blood sugar, amongst other benefits.

Fenugreek seed has a nutritious profile. It contains a lot of minerals and fiber, such as iron and manganese.

Fenugreek is used for a wide range of ailments. Many of these applications haven't been thoroughly studied to draw strong conclusions.

According to preliminary research, fenugreek could help:

• Control of appetite: Some studies have shown a decrease in fat intake and hunger. In a 14-day trial, participants reduced their total fat consumption by 17 per cent.

• Cholesterol Levels: There is some evidence that shows fenugreek may lower levels of cholesterol, and triglycerides.

• Heartburn: In an older two-week pilot study, fenugreek was found to reduce heartburn symptoms in people who suffer from it frequently. Its effects are similar to those of antiacid medication.

• Inflammation: This herb showed anti-inflammatory properties in mice and rats. This needs to be confirmed in humans by further research.

Some reviews, anecdotal stories, and traditional medical reports suggest that fenugreek may help improve metabolism and treat a variety of other ailments.

Does Fenugreek Improve Exercise Performance?

In four randomised controlled trials (RCTs), fenugreek supplements significantly increased muscle strength, the number of repetitions until failure (muscle endurance), submaximal index, lean mass and body fat.

A study published in 2010 demonstrated that 500mg of fenugreek improved lower and upper body strength and overall body composition without causing any side effects.

A further study looked into fenugreek's effects on females within the 25-45 age range who completed a whole-body exercise regime for 2 months.

The results show that the participants experienced improvements in leg strength and reductions in fat mass.

What is Creatine?

Creatine is a substance that helps muscles produce energy when working hard or doing high-intensity exercise.

Creatine supplements are often taken by athletes to improve their performance and increase strength. However, older adults or vegetarians can also reap the benefits.

Creatine is the best supplement to improve performance at the gym as it can improve muscle strength and mass.

It may also help to lower blood sugar levels and improve the brain's function. However, more research in this area is required.

It is found in the muscle cells. This substance helps muscles to produce energy when they are doing heavy lifting and high-intensity exercise.

Creatine shares many chemical similarities with amino acids. These are important substances in the body that help to build proteins. The amino acids glycine or arginine can be used to produce creatine in your body.

The food that you consume, particularly red meats and seafood, provides about half your body’s creatine. Your liver and kidneys make the rest from amino acids.

Creatine is a powerful supplement that can enhance health and athletic performance.

Its primary function is to boost the stores of phosphocreatine in your muscles.

The body will then be able to use these additional reserves in order to create more ATP. This is the main energy source used for high-intensity exercise and heavy lifting.

Creatine can also help you build muscle by the following methods:

• Workload: This allows for more work to be done in one training session. It is a crucial factor in muscle growth over the long term.

• Cell signalling can be improved: Satellite cell signals are increased, which helps muscle repair and muscle regeneration.

• Anabolic hormones are elevated: Researchers have noted an increase in IGF-1 and other hormones after creatine intake.

• Creatine increases cell hydration: This can lead to a volumizing effect on your muscle cells.

• Reduction in protein breakdown may lead to an increase in the total mass of muscle by decreasing muscle breakdown.

• Reduce myostatin: High levels of myostatin, a protein, can inhibit or slow down new muscle development. Creatine can help reduce myostatin, thereby increasing muscle growth.

The phosphocreatine stored in the brain may also improve neurological symptoms and promote brain health.

How Does Creatine Improve Exercise Performance?

Creatine is also a powerful supplement that can improve your strength, power and performance during high-intensity exercise.

Numerous studies show that creatine is a powerful antioxidant.

• Resistance training can help young adults build strength and endurance.

• Give cyclists extra power during the sprint at the end of a time-trial

• Improve the performance of soccer players by improving their sprinting and jumping ability

• Improve power in swimmers - especially helpful for breaststroke and butterfly

The increased production of ATP in your body is the main cause of these noticeable changes.

Normally, ATP is depleted within 10 seconds after high-intensity activity. Creatine supplements can help increase ATP production, allowing you to maintain your performance levels for a couple of seconds longer.

Can Fenugreek Improve Creatine Absorption?

As a recreational runner and fitness professional it is clear to me that both fenugreek and creatine are beneficial in improving performance which could help you get that medal or even beat your record.

However, there is some evidence that suggests fenugreek also helps improve the absorption of creatine to raise creatine levels in the body which should result in even better results.

This is showcased by a study published in 2011 by the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine that demonstrated the usefulness of combining both creatine and fenugreek to improve strength and overall lean muscle gain and fat loss. The results suggest that fenugreek increases the uptake of creatine.

Theoretically, increasing the uptake of creatine into skeletal muscles would lead to higher levels of intracellular Creatine and could potentially translate into more significant effects on performance in anaerobic environments.

Creatine absorption into the skeletal muscles is important because it increases the molecule’s effect on high energy-demanding activities.

What's the Benefit of Combining Fenugreek with Creatine?

Fenugreek contains a variety of nitrogen-containing amino acids, carbohydrates, and bionutrient compounds that improve muscle function and recovery, and delay fatigue.

Fenugreek intake increases creatine absorption, resulting in earlier training adaptations. It may also influx creatine-like carbohydrates into the skeletal muscles.

In the past, it has been accepted that creatine combined with a simple carbohydrate source such as dextrose has provided excellent sports performance benefits.

However, some people may have digestive issues with such carbohydrates or be concerned with the additional calories from the carbohydrate source.

Furthermore, in the cited study, the same effects provided by the combination of fenugreek and creatine were in a much smaller dose than what was used by the comparison of carbohydrate and creatine combination.

Here's the difference:

Fenugreek & Creatine: 900mg of fenugreek and 3500mg of creatine.

Carbohydrate & Creatine: 70000mg of dextrose and 5000mg creatine.

Apart from some potential cost savings, high levels of creatine may cause stomach discomfort for some people.

Furthermore, while dextrose is a useful, fast-acting carbohydrate source for those needing the energy source during a sporting event if it isn't utilised it will be stored as fat which could lead to obesity.

Dextrose is accepted as a very fast-acting energy source that can fuel endurance activities, however, fenugreek also has many benefits.

For instance, fenugreek is extensively studied in both human and animal models. The effects of fenugreek on insulin regulation and hyperglycemia have been well established.

Clinical trials have also shown that fenugreek supplementation has a positive effect on the serum total testosterone levels of males.

Fenugreek is reported to help promote hair and skin health. It may also be helpful in treating skin conditions like eczema, as well as hair loss in women.

In studies, fenugreek consumption for eight weeks improved insulin sensitivity among people with PCOS. It was also reported that it helped regulate the menstrual cycles and manage the condition.

As we can see, there are many reasons why we may wish to combine our creatine with fenugreek instead of using dextrose.

Conclusion

There are proven benefits of creatine and fenugreek. Creatine is the most widely studied sports supplement that has very few unwanted side effects. Fenugreek, whilst not as widely studied is extremely promising across many performance and health parameters.

The 2001 study also highlights the benefits of combining the two to increase skeletal muscle creatine levels which results in better strength performance and body composition.

When compared to the traditional act of combining creatine consumption with a fast-acting carbohydrate sources such as dextrose the required doses of both were much less in the fenugreek and creatine combination.

This could provide cost savings and also prevent any potential excess calorie consumption associated with carbohydrate consumption.