The effects of 8-week creatine supplementation with and without ubiquinol on sperm quality biomarkers in normospermic and oligospermic men: A randomized controlled pilot trial.
Plain-language summary
This study set out to test whether 8 weeks of creatine supplementation, alone or combined with ubiquinol (a form of CoQ10), could improve sperm quality in men with normal and low sperm counts. It randomly assigned 15 men (five with low sperm counts) to take creatine at 5 g a day, creatine at 5 g a day plus ubiquinol at 200 mg a day, or a placebo, then tracked sperm concentration and other markers. While the overall rise in sperm concentration with creatine plus ubiquinol was not clear cut, 60% of men on creatine (with or without ubiquinol) saw their sperm counts improve, compared to only 20% in the placebo group. All men with low sperm counts who took creatine or the combo saw their counts rise, while those on placebo stayed the same or got worse.
Key findings
- 60% of men taking creatine, with or without ubiquinol, saw improved sperm concentration against 20% on placebo.
- All men with low sperm counts who took creatine or creatine-plus-ubiquinol had higher counts at follow-up.
- Sperm creatine levels rose by 36% in the creatine-plus-ubiquinol group, which is the supplement reaching the sperm rather than a measure of sperm quality.
- The rise in sperm concentration in the creatine-plus-ubiquinol group on its own was not clear cut, so the trial does not show that adding ubiquinol helps.
How to analyze the study yourself
- Study type
- Randomized trials assign people to groups by chance, so differences between groups are unlikely to come from who chose what, but this was a small pilot study, so the findings need larger trials to confirm.
- Population
- Small group of 15 men, including 5 with low sperm counts.
- Funding
- Not reported
- Takeaway
- This small trial found that 60 percent of men taking creatine, with or without ubiquinol, saw their sperm concentration rise, against 20 percent on placebo. The trial does not show that adding ubiquinol helps, because the rise in the group taking both was not clear cut on its own. If you are trying to conceive and your count is low, creatine at the 5 g a day used here may be worth trying, and it is a 15 man pilot rather than a settled answer.