LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Researchers say a common food supplement used by athletes to increase strength and muscle mass may prevent brain damage after traumatic head injuries.

A University of Kentucky study shows that use of creatine, an amino acid produced naturally in the liver, kidney and pancreas, could help the brain recover from concussions and other injuries commonly suffered by professional and amateur athletes. The study was published in the November issue of Annals of Neurology.

"We believe this is a highly significant finding in the field of neurotrauma," said Stephen Scheff, a professor in the College of Medicine's department of anatomy and neurobiology. "We know of nothing to date that has shown this type of benefit in preventing serious neurotrauma."

Every year, more than 7 million people in North America suffer brain injuries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 300,000 of those injuries happen to people participating in sports or recreational activities.

Scheff's research team demonstrated that brain damage was reduced 21 percent when creatine was given to mice three days before injury and 36 percent when given five days ahead of time. In rats fed a diet supplemented with creatine for up to four weeks before injury, brain damage was reduced 50 percent, compared with rats fed a regular diet.

Many athletes already use creatine as a way to store energy and aid in muscle recovery time between bursts of activity.

"You have to wonder how a lot of NFL quarterbacks get up following a concussion and then are able to play the following week, because many of those traumas should have a much longer period of recovery," Scheff said. "It may be because they were taking creatine, which helped them to recover more quickly."

Many athletes already use creatine as a way to store energy and aid in muscle recovery time between bursts of activity.

Dr. Gregory J. O'Shanick, national medical director for the Alexandria, Va.-based Brain Injury Association, said further research needs to be done before creatine can be considered a definitive method for limiting brain damage.

"It's something that sounds extremely interesting and tantalizing," O'Shanick said. "But there are two real questions here. First, is animal study sufficient enough to tell every athlete at risk of a head injury to start loading up on creatine? Probably not. Is it encouraging and worth more detailed research in strictly controlled clinical trials? Absolutely."

Dr. M. Flint Beal, chairman of the department of neurology and neuroscience at Cornell University's Weill Medical College, said further study may prove that creatine could be helpful in treating other neurological disorders as well.

"But human clinical trials are absolutely critical in determining whether creatine or any other drug or hormone therapy would be effective in treating human subjects with such disorders or traumas," he said.

Scheff said more research will need to be done to determine the exact benefit to humans, including a specific dosage to maximize the benefit. Until that time, researchers are not likely to promote the use of creatine for athletes under the age of 16, whose young brains are still developing.

"But I will tell you that I start taking creatine before I go skiing," he said.

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