Effects of CreaSafe® on Kidney, Muscle, and Cardiopulmonary Function in Athletes and COPD Patients

Official title

Effects of a New Creatine Formulation (CreaSafe®) on Kidney Function, Skeletal Muscles, and Cardiopulmonary Function in Athletes and Patients With COPD

Overview

Creatine supplementation (CS) offers numerous health benefits, with no proven side effects reported to date. CS positively impacts all organs and systems of the body. However, there is an ongoing effort among several creatine-producing companies to develop increasingly pure creatine formulations that generate fewer renal metabolites. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effects of a new creatine formulation, CreaSafe®, synthesized by the Chinese company Wenda®, on kidney function in athletes and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as its effects on skeletal muscles and cardiopulmonary function. Regarding the athletes (Study 1), the sample will consist of 80 healthy athletes (40 strength-training athletes and 40 middle- and long-distance runners). Among each group of 40 athletes, 20 will receive CreaSafe® creatine (0.03 g/kg/day), while the other 20 will receive a placebo (microcrystalline cellulose; 0.03 g/kg/day), for 90 days, orally administered in water in the morning (between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.). For the COPD patients (Study 2), 60 patients with severe and/or very severe COPD will be recruited. Of these, 30 will receive CreaSafe® creatine (0.03 g/kg/day), while the other 30 will receive placebo (microcrystalline cellulose; 0.03 g/kg/day), also administered orally in water for 90 days in the morning (between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.). The supplementation period for both studies will last 90 days, with assessments performed at baseline and after 90 days. Kidney function will be evaluated through urinalysis (Urine Type I), the balance of pro- vs. anti-inflammatory cytokines, and levels of urea, creatine kinase (CK), and creatinine. Body composition will be assessed using octopolar and multifrequency bioimpedance, along with circumference measurements of body segments. Muscle strength of different muscle groups will be assessed using the E-lastic dynamometer. Biomarkers of skeletal muscle degradation and recovery will also be measured in plasma, including CK, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), urea, myoglobin, and the levels of IL-1beta, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha, Atrogin-1, MuRF-1, and GDF-8 (myostatin). Whole blood analysis (erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets) will be performed using a fully automated blood analyzer (Sysmex XS 800i). Pulmonary function will be assessed through pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry, as well as maximal inspiratory (PIMax) and expiratory (PEMax) pressures using a manovacuometer. Cardiovascular function will be evaluated using electrocardiography (ECG) and cardiovascular hemodynamics assessed by impedance cardiography (PhysioFlow). GraphPad Prism 5.0 software will be used for statistical analyses and graph generation. Paired Student's t-tests will be used to compare pre- and post-intervention values within each group, and unpaired Student's t-tests will be used to compare deltas between the CreaSafe® and placebo groups. Statistical significance will be considered at p ≤ 0.05.

Interventions

• Dietary supplement CreaSafe® creatine
  Will receive CreaSafe® creatine (0.03 g/kg/day) for 90 days, orally administered diluted in water, every morning (between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m.)
• Combination product Placebo 0.03 g/kg/day
  will receive a placebo (microcrystalline cellulose; 0.03 g/kg/day) for 90 days, orally administered diluted in water, every morning (between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m.)

Primary outcome measures

• Plasma Inflammatory Cytokine Concentrations [Time frame: Baseline and after 90 days of supplementation]

Secondary outcome measures (6)

• Renal Safety Assessed by Serum and Urinary Biomarkers [Time frame: Baseline and after 90 days of supplementation]
• Urinalysis Parameters [Time frame: Baseline and after 90 days of supplementation]
• Urinary Cytokine Concentrations [Time frame: Baseline and after 90 days of supplementation]
• Lean Body Mass Assessed by Multifrequency Bioelectrical Impedance [Time frame: Baseline and after 90 days of supplementation]
• Muscle Strength Assessed by Dynamometry [Time frame: Baseline and after 90 days of supplementation]
• Plasma Markers of Muscle Damage and Recovery [Time frame: Baseline and after 90 days of supplementation]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• resistance-trained athletes middle- and long-distance runners severe and/or very severe COPD

Exclusion criteria

• Non-athletes and individuals without a diagnosis of COPD

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Single blind

Primary purpose

Health services research

Study locations

Brazil · 1 center

• Evangelical University of Goiás — Anápolis

Publications

• Kreider RB, Stout JR. Creatine in Health and Disease. Nutrients. 2021 Jan 29;13(2):447. doi: 10.3390/nu13020447. PMID 33572884

Identifiers

NCT: NCT06991426 · 2012/15165-2

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗