Welcome to my weekly summary of the latest research from the world of sports science!
These three studies uncover new insights into how the mind and body adapt to training. From showing how music helps athletes push through mental fatigue, to confirming that creatine doesn’t harm kidney health, and revealing how gut bacteria may support endurance and recovery—read on.
Music Boosts Endurance by Reducing Mental Fatigue
This study tested whether listening to music can reduce mental fatigue and improve endurance performance. After completing a mentally fatiguing task, participants performed a cycling time-to-exhaustion test either while listening to self-selected music or in silence. Those in the music condition lasted longer and reported lower perceived exertion. The researchers suggest that music may help block fatigue signals from the brain, allowing athletes to maintain performance even when mentally tired. This is backed up by other studies that have shown that motivational music in particular improves performance.
My thoughts: I remember running studies where music massively outperformed “thinking about how tired you feel.” This research shows why. Music helps override fatigue by turning down your brain’s stress signals—like an emotional noise-canceling feature. For an added boost, consider combining music with caffeine.
Creatine Doesn’t Harm Your Kidneys (Despite What Your Bloodwork Says)
This review examined whether creatine harms the kidneys. Because creatine naturally increases blood creatinine—a marker doctors use to estimate kidney function—the researchers looked across a variety of studies involving healthy adults, athletes, older adults, and people with chronic conditions. They found no evidence of kidney damage or dysfunction, even at high or long-term doses. The small rise in blood creatinine seen with supplementation reflects normal creatine breakdown, not kidney harm, and lab tests that rely only on creatinine can falsely suggest kidney issues. Overall, creatine is safe for kidney health when used as recommended.
My thoughts: One myth about creatine is that it causes kidney issues—likely because it elevates creatinine levels on blood tests. This review confirms what we’ve long known in the research world: the rise in creatinine isn’t harmful. It’s just a false flag. Good to know my doctor didn’t flinch when I stayed on HMB+ Creatine before my last checkup.
Gut Microbiota Composition May Influence Performance in Trained Athletes
This study examined how the gut microbiome affects athletic performance and recovery. Researchers compared the gut bacteria of 37 trained athletes with 37 non-athletes and found that athletes had distinct microbiota profiles, including higher levels of bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids—compounds known to help reduce inflammation and support recovery. While the exact mechanisms remain unclear, the findings suggest that certain gut bacteria may play a role in enhancing endurance, metabolism, and overall training adaptation.
My thoughts: This is a rapidly growing area of sports science research. We know that gut health is important in athletic performance, but we're still not clear on how and why. I expect some big improvements in our understanding of nutrition over the next few years and that most will focus on gut health.
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 science.
– Train hard!
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