2. Academic Validation
  3. Guanidinoacetic acid as a performance-enhancing agent

Guanidinoacetic acid as a performance-enhancing agent

  • Amino Acids. 2016 Aug;48(8):1867-75. doi: 10.1007/s00726-015-2106-y.
Sergej M Ostojic 1 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Biomedical Sciences Department, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, Lovcenska 16, Novi Sad, 21000, Serbia. [email protected].
  • 2 University of Belgrade School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia. [email protected].
PMID: 26445773 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-015-2106-y
Abstract

Guanidinoacetic acid (GAA; also known as glycocyamine or guanidinoacetate) is the natural precursor of creatine, and under investigation as a novel dietary agent. It was first identified as a natural compound in humans ~80 years ago. In the 1950s, GAA's use as a therapeutic agent was explored, showing that supplemental GAA improved patient-reported outcomes and work capacity in clinical populations. Recently, a few studies have examined the safety and efficacy of GAA and suggest potential ergogenic benefits for physically active men and women. The purpose of this review is to examine possible applications of GAA supplementation for exercise performance enhancement, safety, and legislation issues.

Keywords

Creatine; Dietary supplement; Ergogenic; Exercise performance; Guanidinoacetic acid; Side effects.

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