Creatine Fights Female Major Depressive Disorder

Females battling stubborn vital desolation may have a stunning new ally with their fight the muscle building nutritional supplement creatine.

In a new proof-of-concept study, scientists from three South Korean universities and of course the University of Utah report that ladies with major depressive disorder (MDD) who augmented their day-to-day antidepressant along with 5 grams of creatine responded 2 times as fast and skilled remission of the illness at twofold the rate of ladies who took the antidepressant alone.

The study, published Aug 3^rd 2012, within the American Journal of Psychiatry online, signifies that taking creatine with a doctor's supervision could supply a relatively inexpensive method for ladies who haven't replyed well to SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressants to enhance their therapy consequences.

"If we can get people to feel better more quickly, they're more likely to stay with treatment and, ultimately, have better outcomes," says Perry F. Renshaw, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A, USTAR professor of psychiatry at the U of U medical school and senior author on the study.

Creatine is an amino acid made in the human liver, kidneys, and pancreas. It also is found in meat and fish. Inside the body it is converted into phosphocreatine and stored in muscle. During high-intensity exercise, phosphocreatine is converted into ATP, an important energy source for cells. For this reason, creatine has become a popular supplement among bodybuilders and athletes who are trying to add muscle mass or improve athletic ability.

The eight-week survey added 52 South Korean women, ages 19-65, along with major depressive disorder. All of the women took the anti-depressant Lexapro in the course of the trial. Twenty-five of the ladies obtained creatine with the Lexapro and 27 received a placebo. Neither the research individuals nor the scientists knew who obtained creatine or placebo. Eight ladies within the creatine group and five in the placebo group didn't finish the trial, leaving an entire of 39 individuals.

The group that obtained creatine showed substantially higher improvement rates upon the HDRS at two and 4 weeks when compared to placebo group. By the end of eight weeks, half of those in the creatine group showed no indications of depression compared with quater in the placebo collection of people. No more significant antagonistic side-effects linked to creatine.