Supplements to Increase Muscle Mass and Strength. Not Everything Works!

We have already discussed on numerous occasions the importance of maintaining adequate levels of muscle mass and strength both for performance and for health. Muscle mass and strength not only allow us to lift more weight (or lift the same weight with the same effort) or go faster, but they also play a fundamental role in conditions such as diabetes or obesity, making their maintenance especially relevant as we age.

In this context, there are numerous marketed nutritional supplements that promise benefits in muscle mass and strength: from protein or creatine, to herbal supplements or vitamins. But what evidence supports the effectiveness of these supplements? A recent review published in the journal European Journal of Nutrition (Valenzuela et al. 2019) has reviewed the evidence regarding some of the most popular supplements. Specifically, around 20 types of dietary supplements commonly consumed to increase muscle mass or strength, whether in the sports or clinical field, were analyzed.

After the review, the authors concluded that of all the supplements included, only a few had sufficient evidence to support their safety and effectiveness in increasing muscle mass and strength. Regarding supplements that increase strength after acute consumption (i.e., in a single dose), it was observed that only nitrate (which produces vasodilation and improves blood flow to the muscles) and caffeine (which increases nervous system activation and could reduce the sensation of pain) had 'level A' evidence, that is, high-level evidence supporting their consumption. Similarly, the authors concluded that the sustained consumption of proteins, creatine, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (e.g. Omega 3) also has enough evidence to support its effectiveness in increasing muscle mass and strength.

At the opposite extreme were some famous supplements such as ornithine, alpha-ketoglutarate, conjugated linoleic acid, or ursolic acid, which, despite being widely consumed, would not have evidence to support their use or even their safety in humans. In addition, there is another series of supplements for which there is no strong evidence to support their use, and which could nevertheless cause adverse effects if consumed in excessive doses, such as the herbal supplement tribulus terrestris, arginine, or alpha-ketoglutarate. Finally, there is a series of supplements that, although they have been shown to be effective in some studies, lack sufficiently strong evidence (for example, through meta-analyses) to classify them as 'level A', such as branched-chain amino acids (known as BCAA by its initials in English), ATP, citrulline, HMB, minerals, and vitamins.

Therefore, despite the existence of numerous nutritional supplements that promise benefits in muscle mass or strength, we must be aware of the evidence that supports each of them. Many times, supplements are consumed that have not been researched in the scientific literature, which is important not only because of the ineffectiveness and economic cost of many of these supplements, but also because of the possible associated adverse effects. Supplements such as caffeine, proteins, or creatine have extensive evidence supporting their safety and efficacy for increasing muscle mass and strength, and therefore in the case of consuming nutritional supplements, these could be some of our first options.

30% DISCOUNT ON THE WEBSITE WITH THE CODE:

CROWN30

*Free shipping on orders over 25€. Promotion valid from 15 to 29 of November.

References

Valenzuela PL, Morales JS, Emanuele E, Pareja-Galeano H, Lucia A (2019) Supplements with purported effects on muscle mass and strength. European Journal of Nutrition. Jan 2. doi: 10.1007/s00394-018-1882-z.

 AUTHOR

Pedro Valenzuela
Researcher in the Physiology Unit at the University of Alcalá and the Performance Monitoring Unit at the Sports Medicine Center (AEPSAD, Madrid High Performance Center).
Website: www.fissac.com