email from bill 6-11-07
Creatine, long used by weight lifters to improve workouts, extended the
life span of mice by 9% and reduced age-related brain deterioration.
Creatine monophosphate donates a phosphorus atom to adenosine
diphosphate, which becomes adenosine triphosphate (ATP) the primary
energy carrier in cells. Life is all about energy. Your liver produces
a certain amount of creatine each day. At least in mice, more seems to
be better.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&list_uids=17416441&c
md=Retrieve&indexed=google
The supplementation of creatine (Cr) has a marked neuroprotective
effect in mouse models of neurodegenerative diseases. This has been
assigned to the known bioenergetic, anti-apoptotic, anti-excitotoxic,
and anti-oxidant properties of Cr. As aging and neurodegeneration share
pathophysiological pathways, we investigated the effect of oral Cr
supplementation on aging in 162 aged C57Bl/6J mice. Outcome variables
included "healthy" life span, neurobehavioral phenotyping, as well as
morphology, biochemistry, and expression profiling from brain. The
median healthy life span of Cr-fed mice was 9% higher than in control
mice, and they performed significantly better in neurobehavioral tests.
In brains of Cr-treated mice, there was a trend towards a reduction of
reactive oxygen species and significantly lower accumulation of the
"aging pigment" lipofuscin. Expression profiling showed an upregulation
of genes implicated in neuronal growth, neuroprotection, and learning.
These data show that Cr improves health and longevity in mice. Cr may
be a promising food supplement to promote healthy human aging.