PEG Your Power Output

Not to be confused with the 1970s rock classic “Peg” by Steely Dan, PEG stands for polyethylene glycosylate. Many forms of creatine have been available since it hit the supplement market—creatine monohydrate, creatine citrate, creatine ethyl ester, creatine pyruvate—but the combination of creatine and polyethylene glycosylate is truly novel. Some scientists believe it may help increase the absorption and uptake efficiency of creatine into skeletal muscle fibers.

Specifically, PEG is believed to enhance the gastrointestinal absorption of creatine by increasing permeability coefficients in the GI tract and across the sarcolemma. In practical terms that means you can use a smaller dose to get the same ergogenic effect.

A study just published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research looked at the effects of a moderate dose of creatine monohydrate and two smaller doses of PEG creatine on muscular strength, endurance and power output. Fifty-eight healthy men volunteered and were randomly assigned to one of four groups: a) placebo, b) creatine monohydrate (5 grams of creatine), c) small-dose PEG creatine (1.25 grams) or d) moderate-dose PEG creatine (2.50 grams). They took the supplements over a 30-day period and underwent a battery of tests that included body mass, countermovement vertical jump height, power output during the Wingate test (peak power and mean power), one-repetition-maximum bench press and leg press strength, and repetitions to failure at 80 percent of one-rep maximum for the bench press and leg press.

Here’s where the data get intriguing. Body mass and mean power increased in the creatine monohydrate group only. The bench press and leg press, however, improved for the creatine monohydrate as well as the low- and higher-dose PEG groups. So smaller doses of PEG creatine improved muscle strength to the same extent as five grams per day of creatine monohydrate but did not alter body mass, power output or endurance.

Here’s my take: If you want to get stronger and prefer a lower dose of a supplement, PEG is the way to go. Still, for most individuals, a five-gram serving of good old creatine monohydrate works wonders for muscle mass, strength and power.

Editor’s note: Jose Antonio, Ph.D., is the CEO of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (www.theissn.org) and is a sports science consultant to VPX/Redline.

1 Herda, T.J., Beck, T.W., Ryan, E.D., et al. (2009). Effects of creatine monohydrate and polyethylene glycosylated creatine supplementation on muscular strength, endurance, and power output. J Strength Cond Res. 23:818-26.