In short, yes. This is because vegetarian diets lack the main dietary source of creatine — meat. With this in mind, and considering that around half of the daily need for creatine is obtained from the diet in omnivores,[1] it’s no surprise that the muscle creatine content of individuals eating a vegetarian diet tends to be lower compared to individuals eating an omnivorous diet.[2] Supplementation with creatine appears to close this gap.[3] It’s worth noting that the levels of creatine in the brain are similar between vegetarians and omnivores.[4][5]
References
- ^Brosnan ME, Brosnan JTThe role of dietary creatineAmino Acids.(2016 Aug)
- ^Delanghe J, De Slypere JP, De Buyzere M, Robbrecht J, Wieme R, Vermeulen ANormal reference values for creatine, creatinine, and carnitine are lower in vegetariansClin Chem.(1989 Aug)
- ^Watt KK, Garnham AP, Snow RJSkeletal muscle total creatine content and creatine transporter gene expression in vegetarians prior to and following creatine supplementationInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab.(2004 Oct)
- ^Yazigi Solis M, de Salles Painelli V, Giannini Artioli G, Roschel H, Concepción Otaduy M, Gualano BBrain creatine depletion in vegetarians? A cross-sectional ¹H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS) study.Br J Nutr.(2014-Apr-14)
- ^Marina Yazigi Solis, Guilherme Giannini Artioli, Maria Concepción García Otaduy, Claudia da Costa Leite, Walquiria Arruda, Raquel Ramos Veiga, Bruno GualanoEffect of age, diet, and tissue type on PCr response to creatine supplementationJ Appl Physiol (1985).(2017 Aug 1)