• Sergej M Ostojic, Marko D Stojanovic, and Jay R Hoffman.
• From the *Center for Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences, Stari DIF, Belgrade; †Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia; and ‡Sport and Exercise Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL.
• J. Investig. Med. 2015 Dec 1; 63 (8): 942-6.

BackgroundGuanidinoacetic acid (GAA), a natural precursor of creatine, is a new promising dietary supplement, yet its performance-enhancing effect, if any, has yet to be established. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of supplemental GAA on muscle strength, anaerobic performance, and aerobic performance in healthy men and women.MethodThe study enrolled 48 young participants (age, 22.3 ± 1.5 years; height, 176.4 ± 10.0 cm; weight, 71.9 ± 14.3 kg), who received oral doses of GAA (1.2, 2.4, or 4.8 g/d) for 6 weeks in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.ResultsSignificant differences were observed between treatment groups for handgrip strength among participants receiving 1.2 g of GAA per day and 2.4 g of GAA per day, as compared with placebo (P < 0.05). In addition, muscle endurance expressed as the change from baseline in repetitions performed in the bench press exercise was significantly greater in the 1.2 g/d dose of GAA (P = 0.01) and the 4.8 g/d dose (P = 0.01) compared with placebo. No dose-response differences were found between trials.ConclusionsResults from this preliminary study indicate that supplemental GAA ingested in young individuals can improve exercise performance, even at low doses (1.2 g/d).

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