Hey there, and welcome to my weekly summary of the latest research from the world of sports nutrition.
This week’s summary covers two ingredients we use in our HMB+ Creatine and Beta Alanine, and a potential nutrient gap in the diets of people who don’t eat meat—read on!
Creatine Supplementation Improves Memory and Attention
This study looked at whether taking creatine supplements can improve brain function in adults. Creatine, often used to boost muscle performance, might also help with memory, attention, and how fast we process information. Researchers analyzed data from 16 trials involving 492 people aged 20–76, including both healthy individuals and those with health conditions such as fibromyalgia and mild cognitive impairment associated with Parkinson’s disease. They found that creatine had positive effects on memory, attention and processing speed, especially for those aged 18–60, females, and people with health conditions. However, creatine didn't significantly improve overall brain function or executive function. The evidence suggests that while creatine can be beneficial, especially for memory, more research is needed to confirm these findings and understand how creatine works to enhance cognitive function.
My thoughts: Creatine continues to gain ground in cognitive health. More research is still needed before I believe we can call it a "nootropic" (cognitive enhancer) with confidence, though.
Beta-Alanine Boosts Vertical and Horizontal Jumping Ability
This study investigated how taking beta-alanine (BA) supplements along with short sprint interval training affects volleyball players' fitness and performance. Twenty young male players were divided into two groups: one took BA supplements, and the other took a placebo, for 8 weeks. Both groups showed significant improvements in fitness, jumping, sprinting, and agility. Specifically, the BA group had more significant gains in vertical and horizontal jumping ability compared to the placebo group. Additionally, BA supplementation led to more uniform improvements across individuals in the BA group, indicating more consistent adaptive responses. The study suggests that BA supplements can help volleyball players improve their jumping performance and overall training outcomes. Coaches could consider using BA to enhance their players' performance uniformly during training, as it appears to contribute to better and more consistent gains in key volleyball-specific skills and physiological fitness.
My thoughts: This goes against the grain with other studies on beta-alanine, which show it has an impact mainly on time to exhaustion when going all out for a short period. I would have expected the players to improve in sprint performance first, as explosive power is more of a creatine thing. You just can't rule out the other undiscovered ways that beta-alanine impacts muscle performance…
Vegans Could Be Lacking Vitamin D, Iodine and Selenium
This study looked at whether young people in Norway following different diets—vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, flexitarian, and omnivore—are getting enough essential nutrients. Researchers surveyed 165 participants aged 16–24 and analyzed their blood and urine samples. Vegans were most likely to take supplements, especially for B12, multivitamins, and iodine. However, many participants, regardless of diet, were at risk of not getting enough vitamin D, selenium, and iodine, with vegans particularly lacking in iodine. While most had adequate levels of B12 and hemoglobin (which indicates a low risk of anemia), iodine deficiency was common, especially among vegans. The study suggests that Norwegian youth should be better educated on how to get enough of these nutrients from their diet and that monitoring iodine levels should be a priority.
My thoughts: This has interesting implications for vegan and vegetarian diets. Consider having your iodine, vitamin D and selenium levels checked, add foods high in these micronutrients to your diet, or introduce supplementation to support your performance.
That’s all for this week! If you learned something new and are curious to know more, head over to the Blonyx Blog or my growing list of weekly research summaries where I help you further improve your athletic performance by keeping you up to date on the latest findings from the world of sports nutrition.
– Train hard!