Effect of Creatine Monohydrate Ingestion during Resistance Training on Serum Creatine Kinase and Creatine Kinase Myocard Isoenzyme in Non-athlete Men

Creatine monohydrate (CrM) ingestion is a popular ergogenic aid among young athletes to enhance muscle mass and exercise performance. However, there are controversies about the adverse effects of this supplement particularly cardiovascular system. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of CrM ingestion during eight weeks of resistance training on serum CK & CKMB in non-athlete men. Seventeen non-athlete healthy male volunteers were randomly divided into experimental (n=9) and control (n=8) groups and participated in a randomized and double-blind design. All subjects completed 24 sessions of weight training (3d/w, and 3 sets/10 reps with 75% 1RM) in eight weeks period. Experimental subjects consumed 250 ml Creatine monohydrate supplementation solution (0.07 g/kg/day) during the training protocol, but control group was took placebo (wheat flour). Venous blood samples were obtained before the training and 24 h after the last session of weight training. Serum CK and CKMB activities (IU/L) of samples were measured. Data was expressed as Mean ± SD and statistically analyzed by statistical methods. The results indicate that CK and CKMB activities were significantly increased in experimental group (CKpre: 146.12±14.61; CKpost: 253.66±21.32 IU/L, P<0.001; CK-MBpre: 10.03±1.21; CK-MBpost: 14.63±1.48 IU/L, P=0.007) while, CKMB activity change was not significant in control group (CKpre: 130.33±18.16; CKpost: 162.50±20.53 IU/L, P<0.009; CK-MBpre: 10.72±1.35 IU/L; CK-MBpost: 11.69±2.03 IU/L, P=0.91). This observation suggests that CrM ingestion might have adverse effects on myocardium damage indices. However, more research is needed to identify the acute and chronic side effects of Creatine monohydrate supplementation in the future.