Creatine may assist persons with muscular dystrophy gain strength. A 2013 evaluation of 14 research indicated that persons with muscular dystrophy who took creatine had an 8.5 percent boost in muscle strength compared to those who did not take the supplement. The study also noted that these individuals tended to have higher creatine levels in their muscles than others without muscular dystrophy. Muscular dystrophy is a group of more than 100 different diseases that cause your body's muscle fibers to break down faster than they can grow back. This breakdown leads to progressive weakness and wasting of the muscles they control. Persons with muscular dystrophy may experience difficulty walking, swallowing, breathing, and/or speaking due to severe weakening of the muscles used for these tasks. Life expectancy is generally reduced because of respiratory problems and heart failure caused by the disease itself or its treatment. There are two types of muscular dystrophy: Duchenne and Becker. People with Duchenne muscular dystrophy don't survive past age 30 while those with Becker muscular dystrophy can live into their 50s or 60s. Both sexes are affected by muscular dystrophy but women tend to suffer from it later in life when more damage has been done to their muscles. The condition affects one in 5,000 people worldwide and there is no cure for it yet.