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The main objective of this pilot study was to compare the effects of short-term supplementation with a mixture containing creatine and guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) versus creatine alone on body composition indices in men and women. Twenty-three apparently healthy young adults (mean age: 21.4 ± 0.6 years; 10 females) were randomly assigned to receive either a mixture (consisting of 2 g of creatine monohydrate and 2 g of GAA) or an equimolar amount of creatine monohydrate in a pretest–posttest control group experimental crossover design. After the intervention period, participants entered a 2-week washout phase to minimize any residual effects of the treatment. Body composition was assessed using a multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis at baseline (preadministration) and at the 7-day follow-up (postadministration). A significant interaction effect was found for extracellular mass (p=0.009), with creatine–GAA outperforming creatine in augmenting extracellular mass across the whole sample. In the male subsample, creatine was superior to the mixture in increasing intracellular water (p=0.049), whereas the mixture increased extracellular mass, contrasting with the reduction observed with creatine alone (p=0.008). No significant differences between interventions were reported in the female subsample (p>0.05), indicating that adding GAA to creatine may produce unique, sex-specific effects on body composition. Further studies are needed to validate our findings across different demographic cohorts and various interventional regimens.

Abstract Lifecourse nutrition encompasses nourishment from early development into parenthood. From preconception and pregnancy to childhood, late adolescence, and reproductive years, life course nutrition explores links between dietary exposures and health outcomes in current and future generations from a public health perspective, usually addressing lifestyle behaviours, reproductive well‐being and maternal‐child health strategies. However, nutritional factors that play a role in conceiving and sustaining new life might also require a molecular perspective and recognition of critical interactions between specific nutrients and relevant biochemical pathways. The present perspective summarises evidence about the links between diet during periconception and next‐generation health and outlines the main metabolic networks involved in nutritional biology of this sensitive time frame.

IntroductionThe objective of our study was to examine, in addition to using the TOCA Football System tool and training method, the effect of a 10-week intervention on elite youth athletes in terms of their sport-specific motor skills and anthropometric variables.MethodsThe study covered a group of 32 young players practicing football (U14) (13.45 ± 0.64 years). The junior U14 footballers were randomly assigned to an intervention or TOCA group (TG, N = 15, 13.25 ± 0.58 years) and a control group (CG, N = 17, 13.63 ± 0.66 years). Before starting the test, we performed full anthropometric measurements and assessed the sample's agility with and without the ball and their sport-specific endurance. The measurements were then repeated after the 10-week intervention.ResultsWithin-group analysis showed significant improvements in muscle mass (p