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ISSN Report: Top Two Nutrients for Active Nutrition
By: Susan Hamrahi
July 31, 2024
July 31, 2024
The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) held its annual conference June 18 – 20, 2024. This conference focused on the acute and chronic effects of sports nutrition and supplementation strategies on body composition, physical performance and metabolism. Researchers and sport enthusiasts gathered to discuss exercise and nutrition on health, disease, rehabilitation, training, and performance. While attending, Scientific Affairs Manager, Karen Hecht, PhD, took the opportunity to survey attendees about their top “go-to” and emerging ingredients to keep an eye on. The responses surprising highlighted an ingredient that has a long history on the supplement market, but whose applications have been expanded by newer research findings. That ingredient is Creatine, which has been on the market since 1994; discovered in 1832 and the first known research was published in 1926 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The second favorite, Astaxanthin, has also been researched for over 70 years, making its debut on the global supplement market in 1995 under the brand name Astaxin.
Number One: Creatine
As one of our experts, Joe Imberlina (pictured below), states, “creatine is having its renaissance with cognitive function and aging benefits. It’s my first recommendation for someone who is in their 30’s and focused on not losing a step for healthy aging.”
Creatine is highly regarded across the board for its extensive clinical backing and efficacy in sports nutrition. It enhances muscle performance by increasing phosphocreatine stores, which aids in rapid ATP regeneration during high-intensity exercise. This bioenergetic advantage translates to improved strength, power output, and muscle recovery post-exercise.
Recent research also highlights creatine’s potential benefits beyond muscle performance, including for cognitive function and healthy aging. Aging is often accompanied by a decline in mitochondrial function and cellular energy metabolism.
Creatine supplementation has been proposed as a strategy to support mitochondrial function, enhance cellular bioenergetics, and potentially attenuate age-related cognitive decline.
It is well documented that creatine plays a key role in brain bioenergetics and that creatine supplementation can augment brain creatine stores. Given that memory is energetically demanding, elevation of creatine levels in the brain may enhance memory by supporting mitochondrial respiration and bioenergetics. In vitro, creatine elevated phosphocreatine and ATP levels and increased oxidative phosphorylation in synaptosomes and isolated brain mitochondria. In hippocampal neuron cultures, creatine stimulated mitochondrial activity. In rats, intrahippocampal injections of creatine enhanced spatial memory formation.
A 2023 meta-analysis consisting of 8 studies with a total of 225 participants assessed the effects of creatine supplementation vs placebo on memory performance in healthy humans. The meta-analysis examines the effects of creatine monohydrate versus placebo on memory. The change from baseline in memory performance following 5g/day creatine supplementation significantly improved compared with placebo in older adults (66-76 years old). Interestingly, a significant improvement in memory measures following supplementation with creatine monohydrate in powder form was observed but no effect of encapsulated form was found.
Number Two: Astaxanthin
Jackie Kaminski (The Fight Nutritionist) states, “I tell every single one of my clients to take astaxanthin for muscle recovery.”
Jackie’s “go-to” active nutrition recommendation.
In the pristine waters of the Pacific Northwest, the remarkable journey of salmon swimming upstream to spawn serves as a poignant backdrop for understanding astaxanthin’s benefits as a potent antioxidant.
Through the salmon’s dietary sources of marine algae, krill, and small crustaceans, astaxanthin accumulates in the muscle tissues of the salmon. The astaxanthin bound to muscle protein, gives salmon their characteristic red color and plays a pivotal role in protecting the muscles from oxidative stress, thereby supporting their sustained muscular activity over long distances.
Just like in salmon, astaxanthin supported human muscle performance in human clinical studies. Astaxanthin acts as a powerful antioxidant by donating electrons to neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are generated during prolonged muscular activity. ROS, such as superoxide radicals, are natural byproducts of energy production in the mitochondria, which can cause oxidative damage if present in excess. Astaxanthin’s ability to scavenge these ROS helps maintain cellular homeostasis and prevents oxidative damage to the muscle tissues.
Furthermore, astaxanthin enhances the integrity of muscle cell membranes by interacting with the lipid bilayer of muscle cells which are crucial for maintaining cellular integrity during prolonged physical activity.
Astaxanthin supports ATP synthesis, which is essential for muscular contraction, by preserving mitochondrial function. Astaxanthin’s role as an antioxidant and membrane stabilizer helps maintain mitochondrial integrity and efficiency, ensuring optimal ATP production to sustain muscular activity.
Studies have demonstrated that astaxanthin supplementation can enhance endurance and reduce muscle fatigue. A groundbreaking study reported that astaxanthin supplementation (AstaReal® Astaxanthin 12mg/day) reduced sensation of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The results demonstrated that astaxanthin may enhance recovery by reducing DOMS without detriment to performance in resistance-trained men who reported an average 58% less soreness 24 hours after exercise and 32% less at 48 hours post-exercise with AstaReal® astaxanthin (p=0.01) and an impressive 60% reduction in soreness at 24, 36, and 48-hours post-exercise on the VAS Soreness Scale (p=0.02). Consistency is key in training, and when you can return to your regimen without being hampered by soreness, the sky’s the limit.
The sports nutrition aficionados at ISSN Conference 2024 recognized Creatine and Astaxanthin as promising nutrients with therapeutic applications in supporting muscular function and combating oxidative stress in various biological systems. They have achieved recognition for their powerful nutritional benefits in sports nutrition as a “go-to” for muscle performance and healthy aging.
References:
- Balestrino, M., & Adriano, E. (2015). Beyond sports: Efficacy and safety of creatine supplementation in pathological or paraphysiological conditions of brain and muscle. Medicinal Research Reviews, 35(3), 596-624.
- Prokopidis, Konstatinos, Giannos, Panagiotis, et.al. Effects of creatine supplementation on meory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition Review 2022 Vol. 81(4):416-427
- Roschel, H.; Gualano, B.; Ostojic, S.M.; Rawson, E.S. Creatine Supplementation and Brain Health. Nutrients 2021, 13, 586.
- Prokopidis K, Giannos P, Triantafyllidis KK, Kechagias KS, Forbes SC, Candow DG. Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Rev. 2023 Mar 10;81(4):416-427. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuac064.
- Hussein G, et al. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of astaxanthin in cardiovascular diseases. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:596485.
- Fassett RG, Coombes JS. Astaxanthin: a potential therapeutic agent in cardiovascular disease. Mar Drugs. 2011;9(3):447-465.
- Kidd P. Astaxanthin, cell membrane nutrient with diverse clinical benefits and anti-aging potential. Altern Med Rev. 2011;16(4):355-364.
- Barker GA, Parten AL, Lara DA, Hannon KE, McAllister MJ, Waldman HS. Astaxanthin Supplementation Reduces Subjective Markers of Muscle Soreness following Eccentric Exercise in Resistance-Trained Men. Muscles. 2023; 2(2):228-237. https://doi.org/10.3390/muscles2020017
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