Efeitos da suplementação de creatina na densidade óssea de idosos em treinamento resistido: revisão narrativa

Abstract

Creatine (α-methyl guanidino acetic acid) has been gaining more and more notoriety due to the amount of positive evidence regarding its immense ergogenic effect on physical performance, practicality and easy access. However, the functionality in the supplementation of this peptide goes far beyond the sports scope, increasing strength, performance, endurance and improving body composition, studies show an improvement in the amount of muscle mass, bone density and cognitive function of the elderly in resistance training. . Among its functions is the provision of temporary energy, the transport of energy between the production site and the consumption site, as well as the maintenance of the ATP/ADP resynthesis rate. The use of this supplement still causes several controversies regarding possible heart, kidney and liver damage even with more recent studies not confirming these hypotheses. As humans age, the rate of bone turnover decreases and degradation increases, causing an increase in the likelihood of falls and fractures. The intention of the present study is to review the level of evidence about creatine supplementation on bone density in elderly people undergoing resistance training. The work consisted of a narrative review, articles were searched in PubMed and SciELO databases. The terms used to search for studies were: creatine supplementation in the elderly, creatine supplementation in the elderly undergoing resistance training, creatine supplementation and bone mineral density, in Portuguese and English. The initial literature search resulted in 87 articles, 61 were excluded after not investigating the association between creatine supplementation in resistance training and bone tissue, in the end, only 26 articles met the criteria and were included in the narrative. The studies used 3 different hypotheses for support, namely: increased excretion of n-telopeptides; increased muscle traction; increased osteoblast differentiation and decreased osteoclast expression. Creatine supplementation has the potential to improve bone density in conjunction with resistance training, however the results are quite controversial, this is due to the fact that most studies are not longer than 12 months. Finally, further studies with longer durations are needed, since the bone mineralization process is delayed mainly in the elderly.