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Review
. 2024 Sep 28;16(19):3285.
doi: 10.3390/nu16193285.

Fueling the Firefighter and Tactical Athlete with Creatine: A Narrative Review of a Key Nutrient for Public Safety

Drew E Gonzalez  1   2 , Scott C Forbes  3 , Annette Zapp  4 , Andrew Jagim  5 , Joel Luedke  6 , Broderick L Dickerson  1 , Alexandria Root  7 , Adriana Gil  8 , Sarah E Johnson  1   2 , Macilynn Coles  2 , Allison Brager  9 , Ryan J Sowinski  1 , Darren G Candow  10 , Richard B Kreider  1
Affiliations
Review

Fueling the Firefighter and Tactical Athlete with Creatine: A Narrative Review of a Key Nutrient for Public Safety

Drew E Gonzalez et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Firefighters, tactical police officers, and warriors often engage in periodic, intermittent, high-intensity physical work in austere environmental conditions and have a heightened risk of premature mortality. In addition, tough decision-making challenges, routine sleep deprivation, and trauma exacerbate this risk. Therefore, identifying strategies to bolster these personnel's health and occupational performance is critical. Creatine monohydrate (CrM) supplementation may offer several benefits to firefighters and tactical athletes (e.g., police, security, and soldiers) due to its efficacy regarding physical performance, muscle, cardiovascular health, mental health, and cognitive performance. Methods: We conducted a narrative review of the literature with a focus on the benefits and application of creatine monohydrate among firefighters. Results: Recent evidence demonstrates that CrM can improve anaerobic exercise capacity and muscular fitness performance outcomes and aid in thermoregulation, decision-making, sleep, recovery from traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and mental health. Emerging evidence also suggests that CrM may confer an antioxidant/anti-inflammatory effect, which may be particularly important for firefighters and those performing tactical occupations exposed to oxidative and physiological stress, which can elicit systemic inflammation and increase the risk of chronic diseases. Conclusions: This narrative review highlights the potential applications of CrM for related tactical occupations, with a particular focus on firefighters, and calls for further research into these populations.

Keywords: brain health; firefighting; performance; supplementation; tactical athletes; tactical professions ergogenic.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors did not receive financial remuneration for preparing and reviewing this paper. S.C.F. serves as a scientific advisor for Bear Balanced, a company that sells creatine products. S.C.F. has received creatine supplement donations for scientific studies. A.J. has consulted with and received external funding from companies who sell dietary ingredients and has received remuneration from companies for delivering scientific presentations at conferences. A.J. also writes for online and other media outlets on topics related to exercise and nutrition. D.G.C. has conducted industry-sponsored research involving creatine supplementation and received product donations for scientific studies and travel support for presentations involving creatine supplementation at scientific conferences. In addition, D.G.C. serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for Alzchem (a company that manufactures CrM) and as an expert witness/consultant in legal cases involving creatine supplementation. R.B.K. has conducted industry-sponsored research on creatine, received financial support for presenting lectures about creatine at industry-sponsored scientific conferences, and served as an expert witness on cases related to creatine. Additionally, he serves as chair of the Scientific Advisory Board for Alzchem. Alzchem provided the article processing fees to publish this paper, but were not involved in the analysis of literature, writing, or conclusions made in this paper. None of the other authors have conflicts of interest related to this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Potential benefits of creatine monohydrate supplementation for firefighters and other related tactical personnel. ADP = adenosine diphosphate, ATP = adenosine triphosphate, CrM = creatine monohydrate, CreaT1 = creatine transporter 1, PCr = phosphocreatine, P = inorganic phosphate, ROS = reactive oxygen species, TBI = traumatic brain injury, ↑ = increase, ↓ = decrease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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