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Condition

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a severe genetic disease, mostly in boys, where mutations in the dystrophin gene leave muscle fibers fragile and steadily weaker. Vitamin D and calcium have the most backing, with moderate evidence tied to bone health during long-term corticosteroid use, and in creatine studies blood creatinine went up. Creatine research was small, about 30 people across three studies, so that evidence is limited.

Sources: PMID 23800565; PMID 15804248

Supplements studied
2
Graded outcomes
1
Trials
3
People studied
442

Evidence by supplement

  • Strong
  • Moderate
  • Limited
  • Very limited

2 supplements

Creatine

Creatine: outcomes studied for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Creatinine

Moderate Increase

Improves (the measure goes up)Moderate effect3 studies30 people

Studies that measured creatinine

Power OutputImproves (the measure goes up)44 studies277 people

Studies that measured power output

and 41 more on the Creatine page

Muscle Creatine ContentImproves (the measure goes up)11 studies18 people

Studies that measured muscle creatine content

and 8 more on the Creatine page

Muscular Dystrophy SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)5 studies183 people

Studies that measured muscular dystrophy symptoms

and 2 more on the Creatine page

DNA DamageChanges; see studies30 people
Liver EnzymesChanges; see studies30 people
Lung FunctionImproves (the measure goes up)30 people
Neuromuscular FunctionImproves (the measure goes up)120 people

Glutamine

Glutamine: outcomes studied for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Muscular Dystrophy SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)1 study30 people

Studies that measured muscular dystrophy symptoms

Key findings

  • CreatinineCreatineImproves (the measure goes up)

The Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Supportive Care protocol

2 primary supplements · 6 supporting supplements

  • Vitamin D1,000–2,000 IU daily (higher if deficient)
  • Calcium1,000–1,200 mg daily from diet and supplements

See the full protocol

Studies cited

64 studies from PubMed

  1. Effect of oral creatine supplementation on human muscle GLUT4 protein content after immobilizationDiabetes, 2001 · PMID 11147785
  2. Role of submaximal exercise in promoting creatine and glycogen accumulation in human skeletal muscle1999 · PMID 10444618
  3. Lack of functional benefit with glutamine versus placebo in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a randomized crossover trialPLoS One · PMID 19421321
  4. Comparison of creatine monohydrate and carbohydrate supplementation on repeated jump height performanceJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 18545204
  5. Effect of Creatine Supplementation on Jumping Performance in Elite Volleyball PlayersInt J Sports Physiol Perform · PMID 21941005
  6. Effect of oral creatine supplementation on urinary methylamine, formaldehyde, and formateMed Sci Sports Exerc · PMID 16260971
  7. Creatine monohydrate in DM2/PROMM: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical study. Proximal myotonic myopathyNeurology · PMID 12578937
  8. Oral creatine supplementation facilitates the rehabilitation of disuse atrophy and alters the expression of muscle myogenic factors in humansJ Physiol · PMID 11600695
  9. Effects of long-term creatine supplementation on liver and kidney functions in American college football playersInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab · PMID 12500988
  10. Creatine has no beneficial effect on skeletal muscle energy metabolism in patients with single mitochondrial DNA deletions: a placebo-controlled, double-blind 31P-MRS crossover studyEur J Neurol · PMID 15804248
  11. Creatine monohydrate in myotonic dystrophy: a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical studyJ Neurol · PMID 12529796
  12. Creatine monohydrate supplementation does not increase muscle strength, lean body mass, or muscle phosphocreatine in patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1Muscle Nerve · PMID 14694498
  13. Resistance training with creatine monohydrate improves upper-body strength in patients with Parkinson disease: a randomized trialNeurorehabil Neural Repair · PMID 17312085
  14. Brain serotonin and dopamine modulators, perceptual responses and endurance performance during exercise in the heat following creatine supplementationJ Int Soc Sports Nutr · PMID 18826587
  15. Effects of acute creatine loading with or without carbohydrate on repeated bouts of maximal swimming in high-performance swimmersJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 15903360
  16. Creatine supplementation improves the anaerobic performance of elite junior fin swimmersActa Physiol Hung · PMID 19706374
  17. Low dose creatine supplementation enhances sprint phase of 400 meters swimming performanceJ Med Assoc Thai · PMID 16083193
  18. Effect of creatine on swimming velocity, body composition and hydrodynamic variablesJ Sports Med Phys Fitness · PMID 17369799
  19. Effect of oral creatine supplementation on single-effort sprint performance in elite swimmersInt J Sport Nutr · PMID 8876342
  20. Effects of creatine supplementation on oxidative stress and inflammatory markers after repeated-sprint exercise in humansNutrition · PMID 23800565
  21. Effects of creatine loading and prolonged creatine supplementation on body composition, fuel selection, sprint and endurance performance in humansClin Sci · PMID 12546637
  22. Creatine supplementation reduces muscle inosine monophosphate during endurance exercise in humansMed Sci Sports Exerc · PMID 16331129
  23. Parallel increases in phosphocreatine and total creatine in human vastus lateralis muscle during creatine supplementationInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab · PMID 18156666
  24. Effect of creatine on aerobic and anaerobic metabolism in skeletal muscle in swimmersBr J Sports Med · PMID 8889115
  25. Muscle glycogen supercompensation is enhanced by prior creatine supplementationMed Sci Sports Exerc · PMID 11445755
  26. Skeletal muscle total creatine content and creatine transporter gene expression in vegetarians prior to and following creatine supplementationInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab · PMID 15673098
  27. Physiological responses to short-term exercise in the heat after creatine loadingMed Sci Sports Exerc · PMID 11445756
  28. Mg2+-creatine chelate and a low-dose creatine supplementation regimen improve exercise performanceJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 15142029
  29. Effects of creatine supplementation and three days of resistance training on muscle strength, power output, and neuromuscular functionJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 17685691
  30. Effect of caffeine ingestion after creatine supplementation on intermittent high-intensity sprint performanceEur J Appl Physiol · PMID 21207054
  31. The effects of four weeks of creatine supplementation and high-intensity interval training on cardiorespiratory fitness: a randomized controlled trialJ Int Soc Sports Nutr · PMID 19909536
  32. Effects of high dose oral creatine supplementation on anaerobic capacity of elite wrestlersJ Sports Med Phys Fitness · PMID 14767410
  33. Effects of two and five days of creatine loading on muscular strength and anaerobic power in trained athletesJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 19387386
  34. Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on serum myostatin and GASP-1Mol Cell Endocrinol · PMID 20026378
  35. Effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation on body composition and strength indices in experienced resistance trained womenJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 17194243
  36. Creatine as a metabolic controller of skeletal muscles structure and function in strength exercises in humansRoss Fiziol Zh Im I M Sechenova · PMID 16613062
  37. The effects of creatine supplementation on muscular performance and body composition responses to short-term resistance training overreachingEur J Appl Physiol · PMID 14685870
  38. Effects of creatine monohydrate and polyethylene glycosylated creatine supplementation on muscular strength, endurance, and power outputJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 19387397
  39. Effect of different frequencies of creatine supplementation on muscle size and strength in young adultsJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 21512399
  40. The effects of pre versus post workout supplementation of creatine monohydrate on body composition and strengthJ Int Soc Sports Nutr · PMID 23919405
  41. The effects of supplementation with creatine and protein on muscle strength following a traditional resistance training program in middle-aged and older menJ Nutr Health Aging · PMID 20126965
  42. Effect of thirty days of creatine supplementation with phosphate salts on anaerobic working capacity and body weight in menJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 18438234
  43. The effects of polyethylene glycosylated creatine supplementation on muscular strength and powerJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 21068676
  44. Effect of short-term creatine supplementation on neuromuscular functionMed Sci Sports Exerc · PMID 19727018
  45. Effect of creatine and beta-alanine supplementation on performance and endocrine responses in strength/power athletesInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab · PMID 17136944
  46. Effects of four weeks of high-intensity interval training and creatine supplementation on critical power and anaerobic working capacity in college-aged menJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 19675499
  47. Does nutritional supplementation influence adaptability of muscle to resistance training in men aged 48 to 72 yearsJ Geriatr Phys Ther · PMID 16236227
  48. Effect of creatine ingestion after exercise on muscle thickness in males and femalesMed Sci Sports Exerc · PMID 15595301
  49. Creatine monohydrate increases strength in patients with neuromuscular diseaseNeurology · PMID 10078740
  50. Creatine supplementation and physical training in patients with COPD: a double blind, placebo-controlled studyInt J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · PMID 18044100
  51. The Paradoxical Effect of Creatine Monohydrate on Muscle Damage Markers: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisSports Med · PMID 35218552
  52. Effects of creatine on body composition and strength gains after 4 weeks of resistance training in previously nonresistance-trained humansInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab · PMID 14967873
  53. The effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation with and without D-pinitol on resistance training adaptationsJ Strength Cond Res · PMID 19858753
  54. Creatine supplementation improves muscular performance in older womenEur J Appl Physiol · PMID 17943308
  55. Effects of creatine supplementation in taekwondo practitionersNutr Hosp · PMID 23822690
  56. Effect of creatine and weight training on muscle creatine and performance in vegetariansMed Sci Sports Exerc · PMID 14600563
  57. Creatine fails to augment the benefits from resistance training in patients with HIV infection: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studyPLoS One · PMID 19242554
  58. Effect of in-season creatine supplementation on body composition and performance in rugby union football playersAppl Physiol Nutr Metab · PMID 18059577
  59. The effects of creatine ethyl ester supplementation combined with heavy resistance training on body composition, muscle performance, and serum and muscle creatine levelsJ Int Soc Sports Nutr · PMID 19228401
  60. Creatine, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, amino acids, and medium-chain triglycerides and endurance and performanceInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab · PMID 19033611
  61. Comparison of creatine ingestion and resistance training on energy expenditure and limb blood flowMetabolism · PMID 11735088
  62. Creatine monohydrate enhances strength and body composition in Duchenne muscular dystrophyNeurology · PMID 15159476
  63. Creatine for treating muscle disorders.Cochrane Database Syst Rev · PMID 23740606
  64. Effect of creatine monohydrate in improving cellular energetics and muscle strength in ambulatory Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients: a randomized, placebo-controlled 31P MRS studyMagn Reson Imaging · PMID 20395096

Supplement stack for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy