When you exercise, your creatine kinase levels will rise. But high CK levels aren’t always something to worry about.
Normal CK levels vary by age and race. CK-MB generally rises if you have heart muscle damage, a muscle disorder, or heart surgery.
Your healthcare provider will likely also order cardiac troponin. This protein helps find out if you’ve had a heart attack.
1. Glucose
The creatine kinase (CK) test measures the amount of the enzyme creatine kinase in your blood. High CK levels may indicate muscle damage or disease. The test results can help your health care provider make a diagnosis. However, the CK test alone can’t provide your health care provider with a complete picture of your condition. So your health care provider will usually order other tests to make a diagnosis.
The CK enzyme is found mainly in your skeletal muscles. Any intense activity, illness or injury that affects your muscles can increase the levels of CK in your blood. Muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophy can also increase CK levels. Cocaine abuse can raise CK levels, as can some medications, such as statins (used to treat high cholesterol).
Your healthcare provider will take a sample of your blood using a needle. The blood is sent to a lab for testing. The test results usually are available in a few days. The CK-MM test can detect skeletal muscle damage, such as from an acute injury or muscle disease. High CK-MM levels can also be caused by some medicines, such as cholesterol-lowering statins and diuretics (water pills).
In some cases, your doctor might test your CK levels if you’ve experienced unusual muscle pain or weakness. Your doctor might also order the test if you’ve been taking a medicine, such as an antibiotic, that can cause muscle problems. The CK test can help your healthcare provider decide whether you need to stop taking the medication or find a better one. You can keep CK levels in healthy ranges by avoiding overtraining and getting adequate rest, especially sleep. You can also reduce your CK level by drinking plenty of water before, during and after exercise.
2. Magnesium
Magnesium is important for muscle contraction and heartbeat, but it also has many other functions in the body. It’s a cofactor in hundreds of enzymatic reactions in the body, and low intracellular levels can lead to impaired performance. In athletes, this is reflected by elevated CK levels after a heavy exercise session.
In addition to its role in cellular energy production, magnesium is also an important cofactor for protein synthesis and DNA metabolism. It is essential for maintaining a normal blood pressure and a healthy heart rate. It is also known to lower the risk of diabetes. A 2017 study published in Current Pharmaceutical Design found that those who took magnesium supplements had a 17% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those who didn’t take magnesium.
CK-MM levels are usually highest in skeletal muscles, and elevated levels may indicate an injury or disease to these muscles. Healthcare providers use this test to help find conditions that affect muscle tissue, such as muscular dystrophy or rhabdomyolis. They can also use it to diagnose a heart attack, though a more specific test called cardiac troponin is now preferred because it is better at detecting heart damage.
A health care professional will take a sample of your blood with a needle. You might feel a little pain or bruising where the needle goes in, but this is typically brief and doesn’t last long. Then, the sample will be sent to a lab for testing.
3. Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant that prevents oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol and protects against cardiovascular disease. It also reduces insulin resistance in adipose tissue and muscle cells. It limits the formation of oxidized lipids, and regenerates natural antioxidants like a-tocopherol and ascorbate (vitamin C). One study found that CoQ10 supplementation significantly improves insulin secretion in people with type 1 diabetes, and also increases left ventricular ejection fraction in people with normal heart function (7).
CK levels are elevated when skeletal muscles are damaged, usually by severe injuries or illnesses. High CK levels indicate that creatine kinase is leaking from the muscle cells and entering the bloodstream. This enzyme is involved in the production of ATP, which provides energy for your cells. Creatine kinase also helps regulate the levels of cytokines, which are proteins that signal your cells to begin breaking down muscle tissue.
A CK test is a simple blood test that measures the level of creatine kinase in your body. A healthcare provider will draw a blood sample and send it to a laboratory for testing. The results will provide clues about whether you have damage to your skeletal or heart muscles. Your healthcare provider may also order a CK-MB test, which measures the level of creatine kinase derived from your heart muscle.
Elevated CK levels are usually a sign of muscle damage, but they can also indicate other problems. For example, a CK test can be used to diagnose rhabdomyolysis, a condition that happens when your broken-down muscles release their contents into the bloodstream. A CK test can also help identify certain types of muscular dystrophy and other skeletal muscle disorders.
4. Adenosine
Adenosine is a purine nucleoside and a neurotransmitter. It plays a role in forming adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy source of cells. CK, which is also a protein, is a key enzyme in the breakdown of ATP in muscles. CK levels increase in the blood when muscle tissue is damaged. When this happens, creatine kinase leaks from the damaged cells into the bloodstream. CK tests are used to help diagnose muscular dystrophy, a rare inherited disease that causes weakness, breakdown and loss of function of skeletal muscles. They are also used to help find out whether you have rhabdomyolysis, a sudden breakdown of muscles caused by severe injury or disease. CK testing is sometimes used to help find out whether you have had a heart attack, although another test, called troponin, has been found to be more sensitive and specific at detecting heart damage.
Elevated CK levels may also indicate that you have other conditions, such as a kidney disorder or an infection. In addition to a CK test, your health care provider may order other blood work to check your liver function and electrolyte levels. If your CK levels peak and then drop, it usually means that the muscle damage has decreased or gone away.
Certain medications can also raise CK levels. These include statins, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors such as clozapine and levetiracetam, fibrates, isotretinoin and angiotensin receptor blockers. If you take any of these medications, your doctor may recommend periodic monitoring of CK levels to ensure they aren’t too high. He or she may also order other blood tests to check for muscle damage, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and ferritin.
5. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient that your body uses to form blood vessels, bones, cartilage and muscle. It also acts as an antioxidant, defending your cells from free radicals that can damage them. It also helps your body absorb and make use of iron.
Elevated levels of CK indicate that your muscles may have suffered damage or degeneration — either chronic (long-term) or acute (short-term). These enzymes usually appear after a trauma, such as a severe injury, but can also rise during and after exercise or overtraining, especially when you’re taking certain supplements or medications, including statins (medications used to lower cholesterol).
Regularly elevated CK levels are a sign of rhabdomyolysis, a condition that occurs when damaged muscles break down and release their contents into the bloodstream. The condition can cause severe muscle pain and even kidney failure if not treated immediately.
Typically, you’ll need to have a CK test to diagnose the cause of your elevated CK levels, but your healthcare professional might order additional blood tests, such as a complete blood count and an electrolyte panel, to look for signs of other problems. Your doctor might also recommend that you get more exercise, limit your alcohol intake and eat a healthy diet, which should include plenty of whole foods like fruits, vegetables, fish and nuts. Vitamin C is available as a dietary supplement, but getting more of it from food won’t necessarily help you if you’re deficient in other vitamins and nutrients.
