Dr. Darren Candow

So that might have potential down the road for cardiac rehab or individuals with cardiovascular disease or even subsets of that, like type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome.

So that's an area to stay tuned for as well.

It's emerging.

And same with type 2 diabetes.

There's potential there as well.

potentially improving glucose disposal.

Again, if there's more muscle activation, you have more GLUT4 doorways, maybe more glucose gets in.

So the Brazilian group is leading the way there.

So it's gone from just athletes to now looking at the health aspects for a lot of different conditions and interesting chronic diseases come to the forefront, which is very exciting.

It's totally mixed.

Some show decrease in triglycerides, LDL, and then others don't see the effect.

And again, I think it comes back when you look at those studies with the population.

If they're compromised as we get older, there's probably going to be more of an effect.

And then the question is, was it dietary change that did it or was it the creatine itself?

So that's one of the big issues when we give a creatine supplement.

If you don't consider what they're already consuming or now they've initiated exercise compared to a true placebo, there is potential.

The mechanisms seem to be from a triglyceride perspective important.

It seems to increase energy expenditure, some thermogenic potentially effect that might explain why creatine decreases body fat in individuals 18 and above.

But from the cholesterol perspective, we don't really know the mechanism there.

And that's an area I'm sure that'll be exploding down the road.