Does creatine supplementation improve functional capacity in elderly women?

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of short-term (7 days) oral creatine supplementation (0.3 g.kg(-1)) in elderly women during exercise tests that reflect functional capacity during daily living tasks. We assessed several indices of endurance capacity (1-mile walk test, gross mechanical efficiency, ventilatory threshold, and peak oxygen intake determined during cycle-ergometry) and lower-extremity functional performance (time to complete sit-stand test). Subjects were assigned to a creatine (n = 10; age 67 +/- 6 years) or placebo (n = 6; age 68 +/- 4 years) group. We found a significant improvement only after creatine loading in the sit-stand test (placebo: 9.7 +/- 0.9 seconds for pretest and 9.3 +/- 0.7 seconds for posttest, p > 0.05; creatine: 10.0 +/- 0.7 seconds for pretest and 8.8 +/- 1.1 seconds for posttest). Significance was recorded at p < 0.05 for the interaction effect (group [creatine, placebo] x time [pretest, posttest]). In elderly women, short-term oral creatine supplementation does not improve endurance capacity but increases the ability to perform lower-body functional living tasks involving rapid movements.