Changing to a vegetarian diet reduces the body creatine pool in omnivorous women, but appears not to affect carnitine and carnosine homeostasis: a randomised trial

• DOI: 10.1017/s000711451800017x
• Publication Date: 2018-03-23T10:00:39Z
• Authors: Laura Blancquaert; Audrey Baguet; Tine Bex; Anneke Volkaert; Inge Everaert; Joris Delanghe; Mirko Petrovic; Chris Vervaet; Stefaan De Henauw; Dumitru Constanti...; Paul Greenhaff; Wim Derave
• Keywords: Creatine; Carnosine; Creatine Monohydrate

Abstract Balanced vegetarian diets are popular, although they nearly absent in creatine and carnosine contain considerably less carnitine than non-vegetarian diets. Few longitudinal intervention studies investigating the effect of a diet on availability these compounds currently exist. We aimed to investigate transiently switching omnivores onto for 6 months muscle plasma creatine, homeostasis. In 6-month intervention, forty omnivorous women were ascribed three groups: continued (control, n 10), without supplementation (Veg+Pla, 15) combined with daily β -alanine (0·8–0·4 g/d) (1 g monohydrate/d) (Veg+Suppl, 15). Before (0 months; 0M), after 3 (3M) (6M), fasted venous blood sample 24-h urine was collected, content determined by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H-MRS). Muscle biopsies obtained at 0M 3M. Plasma total declined from 3M Veg+Pla P =0·013 =0·009, respectively), whereas increased Veg+Suppl =0·004). None carnitine-related or showed significant time×group interaction effect. H-MRS-determined unchanged over 6M control Veg+Pla, but soleus <0·001) gastrocnemius =0·001) muscle. To conclude, body pool 3-month women, which ameliorated when accompanied low-dose dietary supplementation. Carnitine homeostasis unaffected 3- diet, respectively.