Creatine supplement makers at loggerheads over new study

By Oliver Nieburg

- Last updated on GMT

Creatine supplement makers at loggerheads over new study
Kre-Alkalyn makers All American Pharmaceutical has disputed a study funded by rival creatine producers AlzChem that claims Kre-Alkalyn supplementation does not increase muscle creatine as much as normal amounts of creatine monohydrate (Crm).

An abstract​ of the study from Texas A&M University was presented at the 9th Annual International Society of Sports Nutrition Annual Meeting in Florida last month.  The abstract will be published later this year in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition​.

The study, which was funded by Creapure makers AlzChem, comes soon after a class action law suit was filed against Kre-Alkalyn (KA) in a Californian District Court.

Creatine quarrel

Study authors Jagim et al.​ called creatine monohydrate; the most widely used form of creatine, the “gold standard”​ and alleged that All American Pharmaceutical’s pH balanced form of creatine, Kre-Alkalyn, was less effective for sports performance. All American Pharmaceutical firmly disputes the claim.

“Recommended daily doses of Kre-Alkalyn does not increase muscle creatine content as much as normal amounts of CrM,”​ said the study.

“Neither manufacturers recommended doses or equivalent loading doses of KA promoted greater changes in muscle creatine content, body composition, strength, or anaerobic capacity than CrM. “ 

“These findings do not support claims that KA is a more efficacious form of creatine,”​ it concluded.

Kre-Alkalyn is DVD quality, says company

Joe Archer, vice president of sales and marketing at All American Pharmaceutical, told NutraIngredients.com that he hadn’t seen the study, but it made no difference.

“It doesn’t matter. Here is the reality. Creatine monohydrate converts to creatinine. It’s proven to be toxic to your body.”

Previous studies​ have suggested there is little evidence of harmful side effects from creatine supplementation.

Archer said that Kre-Alkalyn was the only creatine variety that had a patent for stability.

“Creatine is like a VHS video and Kre-Alkalyn is like a DVD,”​ said Archer.

It’s no blu-ray, say researchers

Researchers at Texas A&M University however doubt Kre-Alkalyn.

They conducted trials with 36 resistance-trained college-aged males.

The men were split into groups and given one of three supplements: creatine monohydrate, the equivalent dose of Kre-Alkalyn and All American Pharmaceutical’s recommended dose of Kre-Alkayln.

The men took higher doses of the respective supplements for a seven day loading up period, before taking the regular doses for 21 days.

The researchers found that muscle free creatine content and bodyweight increased in all groups and did not spot many significant differences from the three supplement types.

However, they suggested in their conclusions that both Kre-Alkalyn at recommended and equivalent were not as effective in promoting changes in muscle creatine content and training adaptations as creatine monohydrate.

Lawsuit

All American Pharmaceutical markets Kre-Alkalyn as “the world’s most potent creatine”.

A class action lawsuit​ filed in May this year challenges the company’s claims. The lawsuit is being brought by the Oliver Law Group on behalf of private claimant Drew Yaca and others in a District Court in California.

It alleges that All American Pharmaceutical is making fraudulent claims unsubstantiated by science.

All American Pharmaceutical firmly disputes this claim.

Gloves off again

The latest lawsuit is not the first time All American Pharmaceutical has been embroiled in legal wrangling over Kre-Alkalyn.

In 2009, the company received a default judgement​ from a district court in Montana against UK scientists Mark Tallon and Robert Child of CR-Technologies.

The scientists had conducted a study and presented at the Annual International Society of Sports Nutrition Annual Meeting – much like the latest study had done.

The UK scientists claimed Kre-Alkalyn had no beneficial effect on creatine-to-creatinine conversion rates despite claims to the contrary from All American Pharmaceutical.

According to court documents, CR-Technologies were the original creators of Creapure although a Google search indicates Creapure was developed and manufactured by SKW Trostberg before it merged with Degussa in 2001. 

A source told this site that the new research and CR-Technologies’ previous study are unconnected. 

Correction: This story has been amended to reflect the fact that Creapure was originally developed by SKW Trostberg.

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