Creatine Monohydrate

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial on 45 young adults found that “Creatine supplementation had a significant positive effect on both working memory and intelligence, both tasks that require speed of processing”. [1]

A double-blind study at Penn State University concluded that “Creatine supplementation resulted in a significant improvement in peak power output during all 5 sets of jump squats and a significant improvement in repetitions during all 5 sets of bench presses”. [2]

An extensive rodent study conducted by 20 German scientists was published in the Neurobiology of Aging Journal in 2008. It concluded that “Creatine may be a promising food supplement to promote healthy human aging”. [3]

Himalayan Pink Salt (sodium chloride + trace minerals)

A study examining the creatine transporter mechanism found that creatine is absorbed “predominantly by the way of a sodium-chloride dependent creatine transporter” and indicated that “combining creatine and sodium may additionally enhance creatine uptake.” [4]

When studying creatine uptake in skeletal muscle, researchers at the University of Missouri found that “the primary means to add creatine to muscle is uptake of creatine through the sodium-dependent creatine transporter.” [5]

A Scandinavian study concluded that creatine “uptake is largely Na+ (sodium) dependent in soleus muscle.” [6]

Fenugreek Seed Extract

In a 2011 study on 47 men scientists found that “ingesting fenugreek in combination with creatine monohydrate may be an effective strategy for improving creatine uptake similarly to dextrose without having to ingest large amount of simple carbohydrates.” They also discovered “significant increases in bench press 1 rep max and lean mass”. [7]

Published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition, a study conducted on 30 college-age men found that “500 mg of daily (fenugreek) supplementation significantly affected percent body fat, total testosterone, and bioavailable testosterone compared with a placebo in a double-blind fashion.” [8]

When studying the effect of fenugreek seed extract on endurance capacity in mice, Japanese researchers suggested that “improvement in swimming endurance by the administration of fenugreek is caused by the increase in utilization of fatty acids as an energy source” [9]

Sources:

  1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14561278

  2. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002822397001892

  3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17416441

  4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/2129152/

  5. http://ajpcell.physiology.org/content/284/6/C1481

  6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10383488

  7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/3761853/

  8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21116018

  9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17087056