Creatine monohydrate supplementation reduces muscle damage and player load index in young semi-professional Colombian football players
Background Creatine monohydrate supplementation has benefits on strength performance and body composition; however, its potential in reducing exercise-induced muscle damage and moderating training load in soccer players remains understudied. The study aimed to evaluate muscle damage and training loa...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15502783.2025.2533655 |
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| Summary: | Background Creatine monohydrate supplementation has benefits on strength performance and body composition; however, its potential in reducing exercise-induced muscle damage and moderating training load in soccer players remains understudied. The study aimed to evaluate muscle damage and training load following a 10-week supplementation period with CrM with and without whey protein in semi-professional Colombian football players.Methods Twenty-eight male semi-professional soccer players (competing in Colombian U17, U20, and 1C leagues) were randomized into four groups: whey protein (25 g/day; n=5), CrM (5 g/day; n=7), CrM + protein (n=10), or placebo (n=6). The 10-week intervention was conducted alongside regular training. Total serum creatine kinase (CK) levels were assessed biweekly, 48–72 h post-training to capture exercise-induced muscle damage. Training load was monitored via Catapult GPS tracking. Player load was the sum of the accelerations across all axes of the internal tri-axial accelerometer during movement.Results No significant differences in CK levels were observed between time points for placebo, protein, or CrM groups. However, the CrM + whey protein group showed a statistically significant reduction in CK levels (P=0.035), suggesting a synergistic effect on muscle recovery. Notably, high-intensity actions under one minute (RHIE) and player load showed significant improvements in the CrM + protein group. Both protein and CrM groups showed significant body fat reduction (p<0.001), while only the group CrM + whey protein experienced a significant increase in the estimates of muscle mass (p=0.031).Conclusions Consuming CrM plus whey protein reduces muscle damage and training load while producing favorable changes in body composition in semi-professional soccer players. These findings should be incorporated into nutritional strategies for athletes facing demanding training and competition schedules. |
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| ISSN: | 1550-2783 |