The Relative Efficacy of Creatine and Ginseng as Performance Enhancers in Sporting Activity - Research Proposal Example

Creatine and Ginseng Introduction: Two of the major nutritional supplements that are used to enhance nutritional performance are creatine and ginseng. Creatine is a naturally occurring substance which when administered, helps the body to produce energy through the conversion of cretaine to phosphocreatine, which is a form of stored energy that is used by the muscles. It is marketed as an ergogenic aid which is very useful in enhancing speed, strength and endurance. This is also the case with Ginseng, which exists in three different forms, which have differing levels of efficacy. One of these is the Asian or Korean version of ginseng which is known as panax ginseng, while there are also American and Siberian ginseng varieties. Rationale for this study: The forthcoming Beijing Olympic Games has again highlighted the importance of physical fitness and enhanced performance in sporting events requiring endurance and speed. For athletes competing in international competitive sports, the slightest differences in their performance levels can play a significant role in determining whether or not they win an event. Since steroids and other such performance enhancers are illegal and sports persons are not allowed to use them to enhance their performance, the role of natural aids such as creatine and ginseng assumes importance. Moreover, with the rising trends in obesity in the United States and Europe, there is more attention being paid to physical fitness and exercise. Improved endurance and speed could function as a motivaiton for more people to engage in sporting activity. This research study will specifically examine the relative efficacy of creatine and Ginseng as performance enhancers in sporting and physical activity. The objective of this study is to assess which of these substances is likely to function better as an aid to performance for athletes. The study will also assess which aspect of performance is impacted by each of these substances, and will also take into consideration any differences that exist in the effect of these substances based upon gender and age of the individual. A detailed literature review will be carried out to examine previous studies that have been carried out on performance enhancement through the use of these substances and this will form the secondary data used in this study. The primary data is proposed to be collected through a study that will be conducted using participants who voluntarily agree to use these substances, so that the improvements or lack thereof in their performances can be measured. On this basis, the research topic for the study will be: The influence of Creatine and Ginseng on multistage fitness test performance. Literature Review: Creatine: An increase in dietary intake of cretaine by way of cretaine supplements results in increased muscular stores of creatine; however one study showed that this level of storage does not exceed a 20% increase, with excessive amounts being excreted in the urine (Harris et al, 1992). This demonstrates that providing cretaine supplements may help to elevate levels of muscular cretaine. In a double blind study design conducted by Prevost et al (1997), to examine the effects of cretaine supplementation, four groups of research participants were involved. The first group cycled non stop to exhaustion at 150% VO2, the second group cycled for 60 seconds with 120 seconds of rest the third group cycled for 20 seconds with 40 seconds rest and the last group cycled for 10 seconds with 20 seconds rest. The results of the study showed that the last group showed the greatest improvement with creatine supplementation. Other studies using placebo controlled, double blind study designs have also shown that oral cretaine supplementation appears to be of benefit in the performance of intermittent, high intensity exercise. (Greenhaff et al, 1993; Balson et al, 1993;Bosco et al, 1997). Other studies have however disputed whether creatine supplementation increases endurance levels; in one study which measured performance in running over a 6km course in two groups, the findings was that the group which had received cretaine supplements actually performed slower than the other group. Peyrebrune et al (2006) recently conducted a study to examine the impact of oral supplementation with cretaine in training swimmers to compete in swimming events. In this study, the participants performed a maximal sprint test, then loaded up with creatine and performed the test again, followed by a week later and after a 22 week period of training and competition. The findings in this study showed that there was no statistically significant difference noted between control groups and the groups administered creatine after the period of long term maintenance training. However, the results also demonstrated small differences which could be significant in the case of elite performers in competition, since creatine supplements appear to improve performance in exercises of short duration but high intensity which have adequate length rest periods in between. It must be noted however, that the results obtained are different between men and women. In another double blind placebo controlled study, creatine supplements were given to 18 men and 14 women (Leenders et al, 1999). In the case of men, those administered cretaine supplements performed better than those administered placebos, but significant increases in swimming speed were noticed during the six 50m bouts at three minute intervals, but when the interval was shortened to one minute and the swimming length was changed to 10 sets of 25 yard lengths, the speed did not improve. This suggests that creatine supplements do not produce any improvement unless adequate intervals are provided for the body to synthesize phosphocreatine again(Leenders et al, 1999). In the case of women, there was no improvement at all noted with the creatine supplement, whether with the shorter duration, high intensity workout or with longer intervals in between. The authors suggest that the reason for this may be the normal presence of higher levels of cretaine in muscle tissue of women as compared to men, as a result of which they do not experience the benefits which men do (Leenders et al, 1999). Krieder (2003) has carried out a review of the literature on research studies that have examined the effect of cretaine supplementation. Of the 300 studies which have evaluated the ergogenic value of cretaine supplementation, 70% report statistically significant results, while others report non significant gains in performance. On an overall basis, the studies suggest that creatine supplementation in the short term improves maximal power and strength from 5 to 15%, and single effort sprint performance from 1 to 5%, while work performed during repetitive sprints improves from 5 to 15%. The studies also lead to an overall conclusion that creatine supplementation during the process of training promotes higher gains in strength, fat free mass as well as in performance of high intensity exercise tasks. The author points out that while not all studies arrive at statistically significant results, the scientific evidence suggests that creatine supplementation is generally an effective nutritive aid for a number of exercise tasks in athletic populations. Ginseng: In a double blind, placebo controlled study, panax ginseng or a placebo was administered to 41 people, after which they either took up exercise or went without exercise training (Cherdungsi and Rungroeng, 1995). The findings in this study suggest that while ginseng may improve aerobic capacity in individuals who do not exercise, there is no indication of any significant benefit being enjoyed by those participants who do exercise. In a study conducted with ginseng using highly trained athletes, the double blind, placebo controlled method was used over a nine week duration. These athletes were administered panax ginseng or panax ginseng with vitamin E, and this study found that there was a significant improvement in the aerobic capacity of the participants, both with or without Vitamin E, suggesting that ginseng may enhance performance capacity (McNaughton et al, 1989). The benefits of ginseng appear to be more evident in older people as compared to young people. The participants were of varying ages and participated in a double blind, placebo controlled study and they were given ginseng treatment over a twelve week period. The findings showed that ginseng improved the reaction time and lung function among participants who were aged 40 to 60, but there was no noticeable benefit in younger people (Allen et al, 1998). This result was corroborated in another eight week study which was also a double blind, placebo controlled study, where the participants were 60 young men in their twenties (Engels et al, 1997). No noticeable benefit was evident from the use of ginseng. Other studies which have been carried out with small trials of panax ginseng have also failed to show any signs of significant improvements after the use of ginseng, especially in the case of women. (Engels et al, 1996; Morris et al, 1996). On an overall basis therefore, the results of these studies suggest that cretaine may be of some value in enhancing performance for high intensity, short duration activities with adequate intervals in between. But Ginseng does not produce any similar effect in terms of enhancing athletic performance or endurance in young people, although it may have some beneficial effects in older people. Methodology: This study will also use a double blind, placebo trial method in examining the research topic that is proposed. Four groups of ten participants each will be identified, with these participants being from different age groups and both the genders, but all being athletes. The primary data is proposed to be collected over a time span of twelve weeks, using convenience sampling to identify athletic persons within a limited geographical area, to participate in the study. The first group of participants will be administered creatine, the second group will be using Ginseng regularly, the third group will be provided certain and ginseng alternatively, while the last group receives neither cretaine nor ginseng but is given a placebo. The participants will first be tested on a physical activity such as running, before starting the process of taking the substance, and they will be timed on the activity. The next test will occur in a week after the tests have begun, with further tests being organized when the participants have completed the first month, the second month and the third month. The data on time required to complete the running activity will be recorded in an Excel data sheet. It is proposed to do an ANOVA analysis on the test results in order to identify the differences among the four samples as well as the existing correlations between them. This will help to clearly identify whether such correlations and or differences are statistically significant and thus enable inferences to be made on the relative efficacy of the two substances used in isolation, as well as when they are used together or not at all. Timetable: This study is estimated to be completed in a time span of five months. The first month will be devoted to the collection of secondary data and contacting participants to arrange for their voluntary participation in the study. Care will be taken to adhere to ethical considerations, such as seeking their voluntary participation, informing them about the purpose of the study and ensuring that all data and findings are kept confidential. The next three months will be devoted to carrying out the test, while the report preparation will also begin, in writing up the findings from the literature review. The last month will be devoted to statistical analysis of the primary data and write up of the results, to complete the report. Estimated costs: Assuming that the price of Ginseng supplements for one individual over the course of a week is roughly $10, the cost of administering these capsules over a 12 week span for two participant groups works out to $240. Similarly, assuming that a week’s supply of creatin supplement for one individual is $10, the total costs of administration to 20 participants over a 12 week span is $240. Estimated costs for the placebo group is assumed to be $120. Logistical costs estimated for carrying out the running tests and timing performances, including the nominal costs to be paid to assistants in timing the performance of the participants is estimated to be about 700$. Including other costs such as typesetting and printing of reports, as well as software analysis of data using a statistical software package such as SPSS is estimated to be an additional 400$, thus bringing the total estimated costs for this project to about 1700$. Limitations: There is one notable limitation in this study. The participant sample sizes are relatively small, i.e, only ten for each variable tested. The value of the results obtained in the study would be considerably enhanced if larger sample sizes could be used, however due to paucity of time and resources, the participant sample sixes have been limited. References * Allen JD, McLung J, Nelson AG, et al, 1998. “Ginseng supplementation does not enhance healthy young adults’ peak aerobic exercise performance”, Journal of the American College of Nutrition,17:462-466. * Balsom, P.D., et al, 1993. “Creatine supplementation per se does not enhance endurance exercise performance”, Acta Physiol Scand, 149; 521-3. * Bosco, C et al, 1997. “Effect of oral creatine supplementation on jumping and running performance”, International Journal of Sports Medicine, 18; 369-372. * Cherdrungsi P and Rungroeng K, 1995. “Effects of standardized ginseng extract and exercise training on aerobic and anaerobic capacities in humans”, Korean Journal of Ginseng Science, 19:93-100. * Engels HJ and Wirth JC, 1997. No ergogenic effects of ginseng ( Panax ginseng) during graded maximal aerobic exercise. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 97:1110-1115. * Engels HJ, Said JM, Wirth JC. Failure of chronic ginseng supplementation to affect work performance and energy metabolism in healthy adult females. Nutrition Research, 16:1295-1306. * Morris AC, Jacobs I, McLellan TM, et al, 1996. “No ergogenic effect of ginseng ingestion”, International Journal of Sport Nutrition, 6:263-271. * McNaughton LG, Egan G and Caelli G, 1989. “A comparison of Chinese and Russian ginseng as ergogenic aids to improve various facets of physical fitness”, International Journal of Clinical Nutrition Review, 9:32-35. * Greenhaff, P.L., et al, 1993. “Influence of oral creatine supplementation on muscle torque during repeated bouts of maximum voluntary exercise in man”, Clinical Science, 84: 565-71. * Harris, R. et al, 1992. “Elevation if creatine in resting and exercising muscles of normal subjects by cretaine supplementation,” Clinical Science, 83: 367-74 * Krieder, Richard B, 2003. “Effects on creatine supplementation performance and training adaptations”, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 244 (1-2) :89-94 * Leenders, N, Sherman, W.M., Lamb, D.R. et al, 1999. “Creatine supplementation and swimming performance”, International Journal of Sport Nutrition, 9:251- 262. * Prevost, M.C. et al, 1997. “Creatine supplementation enhances intermittent work performance”, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 68(3); 233-240. * Peyrebrune, Michael C, Stokes, Keith , Hall, George M and Nevill Mary E, 2006. “Effect of creatine supplementation on training for competition in elite swimmers”, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 37(12): 2140-2147 Read More