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Not long ago I did a
large study on numerous forms of creatine and was recently reading through all
of the research and found that I had forgotten much of the amazing benefits of
this wonder supplement. I have decided to scoop all of my research together for
you here to have a look through and become dazzled at how perfect this
supplement appears to be in the laboratory and in the real world.
WHAT IS CREATINE MONOHYDRATE?
Creatine Monohydrate (methylguanidine-acetic acid) is one of the leading
supplements used in athletic enhancement. Widely recognized by athletes and
amateurs alike, creatine is heralded as a highly effective, natural performance
enhancer (an ergogenic). Creatine has grown in popularity since the early 90's,
although being studied for many years prior to this, and has become a staple
supplement for many athletes regarding it almost as an essential nutrient.
WHERE DOES CREATINE COME FROM?
Creatine is a natural dietary constituent of all animal food, and is produced
and stored by our own bodies. Our liver and kidneys tends to synthesize creatine
from the amino acids glycine, arginine, and methionine and so is not considered
an essential nutrient however many numerous studies have shown supplemental
creatine of doses higher than 2 grams a day can have profound effects on various
types of physical performance. The physiological effects of supplemental
creatine have been so widely studied and acknowledged in terms of athletic
performance research has now turned its attention to the possible beneficial use
of this substance in preventing losses of muscle and neural functioning during
aging or with various neuromuscular diseases.
IS CREATINE NEW?
Creatine
has been acknowledged as
a food constituent for over 150 years. The substance was discovered in 1832 by a
French scientist named Michel Eugene Chevreul. Even as early as the start of the
20th century creatine had been shown to increase muscle content in animals. More
recently the number of human studies show time and time again that creatine
supplementation has a marked effect on performance. Being non-hormonal in it's
action makes this supplement equally beneficial to women as well as men. It is
estimated that in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta almost 80% of the
athletes, both male and female, were using creatine, with this figure surely
rising to this day. Creatine,
as with all supplements, is perfectly safe in normal recommended dosages. There
have been a few anecdotal reports suggesting creatine misuse could lead to some
possible physical ailments such as dehydration, muscle cramping or even stress
to the kidneys however these findings have never been proven nor are very
common. Usually the bad press about many health supplement has come from
misinformation or total false accusation.
OUR BODY
NATURALLY PRODUCES CREATINE
An average man weighing 70kg stores roughly 120g creatine in total around the
entire body and turns over (uses and replaces) around 2g a day. It should be
noted that a large quantity of this creatine pool is stored in muscle tissue and
obviously the larger the muscle becomes the higher the creatine content becomes
and daily requirements to replace used creatine from training. Creatine is
stored within the body as about 30 - 40% free creatine and 60 - 70%
phosphocreatine (creatine bound to phosphate). Consumption of creatine in an
average diet from natural food sources may also vary quite widely. A strict
vegetarian may receive absolutely zero creatine and may replenish their
creatine stores purely from endogenous synthesis by their own liver. Individuals
whom consume a normal omnivorous diet, whose protein intake ranges between 1 and
2g per kilogram of bodyweight daily obtain around 0.25 - 1 g of creatine from
their diet. If an individual drastically increased their protein intake every
single day, ingesting 1 or more pounds of red meat or fish they could achieve
maybe a 3 to 4g intake of dietary creatine. Beyond this, however, it would be
very difficult and unlikely to increase intake much further.
ENHANCING
CREATINE ABSORPTION
Creatine is an osmotically active substance; thus an increase in intracellular
creatine concentration may induce water influx into the cell. This is often a
very rewarding and beneficial aspect to athletes concerned with gaining muscle
mass, size or strength. Creatine may be a signal to stimulate protein synthesis,
possibly by this intracellular fluid retention and increasing osmotic pressure.
It is important to note that creatine absorption can actually be enhanced and
the benefits increased. There is evidence that creatine uptake into tissues may
be mediated by insulin (a hormone related to food consumption and it's
response/action to consuming nutrients). It has been shown that ingesting large
quantities of carbohydrate (upto 95g) along with a supplemental dose of say 5g
of creatine facilitated greater creatine uptake by the muscles than taking
creatine alone. This response was apparently mediated by the glucose-stimulated
release of insulin. In fact further enhancements of creatine absorption have
recently been made with the use of insulin potentiating substances such as Alpha
Lipoic Acid or D-Pinnitol. Making improvements to creatine absorption is
becoming common knowledge and there are many pre made creatine transport systems
now available.
ATP - WHAT IS IT?
All cells use ATP (adenosine triphosphate) as the immediate energy source, but
since ATP stores are limited they must be regenerated by other metabolic
processes in the cells in order to sustain high muscle output. The classic
hypothesis suggests that muscle fatigue is caused by failure of the energetic
processes to generate ATP at a sufficient rate. Energy is liberated from the ATP
molecule as the phosphate from ATP is removed by an ATPase enzyme leaving
adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and inorganic phosphate (Pi). Collectively the ATP
and Phosphocreatine (PCr) energy sources are known as the phosphagen energy
system. During very high intensity exercise the phosphate from the
phosphocreatine is cleaved off to provide energy for resynthesis of ATP. This
allows the ATP pool to be turned over several dozen times during all-out
maximal-effort exercise. From an ergogenic (performance enhancing) viewpoint,
resynthesis of Phosphocreatine could be the critical factor during sustained
very high intensity exercise. Further it is worth noting phosphocreatine (the
primary stored form of creatine in muscle tissue) has a role in helping to
buffer H+, increasing
the cells capacity to attenuate the decline of pH levels during intense exercise
and may help delay fatigue. This is as we know the burning sensation when lactic
acid floods the muscle and causes us to cease exercise. Theoretically the
phosphagen, or ATP-PCr, energy system is capable of providing energy for only a
few muscle contractions before being depleted. Since PCr is the substrate for
this system, it is logical to hypothesize that creatine supplementation is a
possible ergogenic strategy to rapidly replenish PCr and enhance performance
tasks less than or equal to 30 sec in duration.
BENEFITS FROM
CREATINE SUPPLEMENTATION
Creatine may also enhance training in other ways. Increased creatine or PCr may
enable athletes to reach a higher training load, improve repetitive interval
sprint capacity, reduce training fatigue and possibly enhance muscle hypertrophy
- all factors that may enhance competitive performance. Creatine also increases
fat free body mass (muscle) which is extremely beneficial in sports requiring a
high power output to resist the inertia of another body (e.g. weight training).
HOW DO I USE CREATINE?
Creatine supplementation protocols involve a loading and maintenance phase. The
most commonly used research protocol for creatine loading is to ingest a daily
total of 20 - 30g of creatine, usually creatine monohydrate, in four equal doses
of 5-7g dissolved in about 250 ml of fluid, over the course of the day (usually
early morning, noon, afternoon and evening) for a period of 5 to 7 days. When
powder is used some recommend warm or hot fluids for better dissolution o
creatine. Based on body weight the recommended loading dose is 0.3g/kg body mass
per day for a period of 5 to 6 days. A more prolonged loading protocol of 3g/day
for 28 days is just as effective as the short term loading protocol. After the
creatine loading phase the recommended maintenance dosage is considerably lower,
approximately 2 - 5g of creatine per day or 0.03g/kg body mass per day. After
ingestion of 5g of creatine, levels in the blood peak during the first hour and
then begin to dissipate during the next several hours. To help maintain peak
plasma levels it is recommended to ingest 5g doses every few hours or around 4
to 5 times a day during the loading phase, however, it should be noted that
several studies have shown no extra benefit from supplementing any higher than
20g a day.
Creatine has also
been widely used with caffeine, which often comes as a surprise to many people.
Caffeine is however a strong ergogenic aid in its own right. The adrenergenic
effects of caffeine may elicit a variety of cellular responses - one being an
increased sodium/potassium ATPase pump activity in the muscle cell membrane, an
effect theorized to enhance creatine uptake into the muscle. Several studies
have shown creatine mixed with caffeine (5mg/kg/day) has indeed increased the
muscle uptake of creatine by upto 15%. However caffeine may interfere slightly
with the rate of muscle PCr resynthesis during intermittent exercise.
Creatine is excreted
normally by the body by diffusion in the kidneys into the waste product
creatinine. This catabolism of creatine is a fairly slow process. It is
estimated that elevated muscle creatine stores will return to normal, declining
slowly, over a period of around 4 weeks. This is because daily creatine turnover
is only a maximum of about 2g a day.
CREATINE
INTOLERANCE
It is interesting to note that there are individuals whom have limited results
with just creatine supplementation alone. Usually supplementing with creatine
causes a marked 20% increase in TCr content of muscles, however, there does seem
to be a few individuals, around 20 - 30% of the population, whom do not respond
as well to usual creatine loading - only achieving around 8% TCr increase. It is
interesting to note that this biochemical/genetic individuality is generally
resolved when using a creatine/glucose combination.
CREATINE SCARES
There have, as mentioned, earlier been a few unsupported scares regarding the
use of creatine monohydrate supplementation. As already mentioned most of these
studies have been either totally misguided or explainable to some sensible
degree. However, when purchasing your creatine supplement you want to be totally
assured of the purity and quality of what you are placing in your body. It is
worth noting that many suppliers of creatine do not independently test their
product nor do they use a reputable source of high quality creatine such as
Creapure - from SKW in Germany - the worlds leading supplier of highest quality
Creapure. A product containing high quality creatine will be marked as either
containing such a high quality creatine, or if you write to the company they
should provide you with the information you require and whom they use as their
creatine supplier. Buying cheaper creatine, or one not to high standards, may
contain any or all of the following toxins:-
-
Dicyandiamide -
a derivative used in the production of fertilizers, explosives, fire
proofing etc. This substance breaks down into cyanide gas when exposed to
strong acid such as stomach acid.
-
Creatinine - as
mentioned earlier a byproduct of creatine metabolism with absolutely no
ergogenic value. Also linked to increased colon cancer incidence.
-
Dihydrotriazine
- not enough research provided on the toxic effects of this substance.
-
Sodium - aside
from the obvious health implications, people surely don't want to be
spending the amount of money they are on creatine to find such a high level
of sodium in poor quality creatine products.
Obviously when you
are loading on a creatine product you surely don't want to be dumping high
levels of these toxins into your system and so it is always worth spending that
little bit extra on a reputable brand clearly labeling their creatine.
Enhancing
Creatine Absorption Further
Creatine supplementation is a successful supplement for most
individuals in its monohydrate form or one of the transport systems. Expect
gains in energy, strength and muscle size from creatine use. These benefits will
continue for as long as creatine is used and around four weeks after cessation
of use. Gains in lean body weight from enhanced strength and possibly enhanced
protein synthesis can be retained when coming off creatine. Useful mainly in
sports related to short bursts of high intensity exercise such as weight
training and sprinting. Beneficial to endurance athletes also, so long as the
body weight gain does not hinder increased performance. Variation with dosage
normally reveals a beneficial optimum.
Creatine transport
systems have been developed and improved upon over the years as a system to
force feed maximal amounts of creatine into the muscle cell and minimize
wastage. Using creatine monohydrate alone can sometimes only result in maximum
of 50% absorption of the product. Using a transport system as either a full
cycle tool for improved benefits or even just as a loader for the first 5 - 6
days of creatine use generally results in enhanced results and further benefits.
Also useful for the small percentage of the population whom appear unable to
reap benefits from creatine used on it's own.
There are quite a
few various formulas out on the market today with various added ingredients. The
basic aim of these ingredients are to firstly improve the action of the anabolic
hormone insulin. For detailed information about this hormone and it's action see
the section Insulin. Simply put this hormone is the key to taking
nutrients places in the body and storing them. The better and more efficient
your insulin and the stability of it will shuttle much more nutrient into the
muscle cell including creatine thus the transport systems are concerned
initially with getting more of the substance into the cell where it can do it's
work. For this reason transport systems often, but not always, contain high
amounts of carbohydrates, especially in a simple form such as dextrose. It is
important to note that these products should be avoided when trying to diet or
concerns where high sugar diets may be a high risk to performance, e.g. diabetes
or Ketogenic Diets (Lipolytic-Ketosis). Very shortly we will be seeing
the increasing popularity of transport systems with much lower, if not zero
carbohydrates in them. Next a transport system may be involved with including
ingredients of a synergistic nature. It is well known that creatine has a energy
increasing potential and a cell volumising potential. Both factors involved in
and vital to the process of muscle growth and repair from exercise. In this
instance other cell volumising nutrients may be added or energy producing
nutrients to back up the function of creatine further. Finally the transport
system is an aid to good intestinal absorption - another area where creatine
monohydrate alone may come into trouble. It is vital that the correct
environment is provided in the stomach to enhance uptake and fast assimilation
by the body.
As each product
varies here is a list of what ingredients may actually be included in many
formulas.
As mentioned earlier
there are a number of various techniques now employed to enhance the uptake of
creatine by the muscle. Primarily these techniques involve enhancing the action
of the highly anabolic hormone insulin.
Many companies now see the added benefits of these techniques and so have
brought to the market pre-mixed creatine transport systems (see creatine
transport systems).
Creating your own
transport system can sometimes prove expensive but still favoured by many. Here
are a few things that you can do to increase you creatine absorption especially
during the loading phase.
-
Add your
creatine to around 75 - 100g of carbohydrate. A mixture of dextrose
primarily for high insulin output, maltodextrin, second, for sustained
energy. A little fructose for liver glycogen.
-
Add taurine to
the mix. Around 1 gram has an added cell volumising effect much the same as
creatine has in drawing fluid into the muscle.
-
Add phosphate to
the formula to enhance the lactate buffering creating a more favourable pH
balance decreasing the onset of muscular fatigue. This can also help lower
the acidity of the stomach, improving absorption and causing less waste of
creatine being converted into creatinine before even being used.
-
A number of
antioxidants such as Vitamin C and E would be of benefit to help deal with
the waste byproducts of intense training which could adversely affect
performance.
-
Glutamine could
also be added in a dose of between 5 - 10g as a secondary cell volumiser,
again enhancing the size gains caused by creatine. Glutamine is also the
primary amino acid which makes up around 70% of human skeletal muscle tissue
and is vital to muscle repair and growth. Adding glutamine in this way can
seriously improve recovery rate and reduce muscle soreness dramatically.
-
Several insulin
priming nutrients would be of benefit. Chromium Picolinate (around 200 mcg)
enhances the action of insulin making it much more stable and better at its
job. Vanadyl Sulphate (around 15 mg) has also had plenty of research showing
it's insulin mimicking properties and ability to literally force feed
muscles with nutrients including creatine. Alpha Lipoic Acid, a strong anti
oxidant also with insulin improving properties, would be an excellent choice
at a dose of around 200 - 300 mg. Finally new research is showing D-Pinnitol
would be a worthy addition.
-
Adding the
primary amino acids of creatine synthesis may be beneficial, especially to
cell hydration, methionine, arginine and glycine.
-
It is possible
that albion chelated magnesium may also enhance the absorption of creatine
by around 100% and uptake by the muscle cells of around 200%.
-
Taking your
creatine mixed formula in a warm (preferably not hot, nor cold) liquid would
be ideal. Stomach emptying is much better at body temperature, when taking a
drink cold, 1st your body must increase the liquids temperature while the
creatine does not dissolve properly. Taking a liquid too hot could easily
damage the creatine and force the stomach to first cool the temperature of
the beverage down.
-
As noted earlier
caffeine may exert a beneficial addition to the creatine mix, as apposed to
common belief, so long as daily you keep well hydrated. It would therefore
be an idea to add 200mg caffeine tablets to your intake of creatine or
simply a good cup of regular hot coffee either before or straight after your
creatine. Some people even mix their powder straight into the coffee once it
has begun to cool.
-
-
Ribose - see the section dedicated primarily to this
nutrient. Suffice to say this adds a lot to a hard trainers recovery
rate and is involved extensively in the manufacture of ATP.
-
HMB - Hydroxy Methyl Butyrate another very popular
supplement with a very different action to creatine. Used highly
successfully on it's own HMB does not actually need to be added to
creatine but can have a double punch effect, so to speak, when combined
together.
-
TMG - Tri Methyl Glycine usually added to a transport
system with a lot of glutamine added but is also becoming much more
popular in it's own right. Used as a nutrient to cleanse the blood of
toxic ammonia this nutrient has also been shown to have growth enhancing
properties all of it's own.
-
Ginseng - and other energy providing adaptogens. Added
mainly to enhance the energy boosting properties of the creatine
formula.
-
L - Carnitine is often added as an energy booster. Also
an aid to fat loss as this nutrient causes stored body fat to be broken
down and used to fuel the mitochondria of every cell to provide energy.
-
Effervescent formulas are also gaining popularity. All
as a possible aid to further enhance stomach absorption and surface of
the stomach lining for greater uptake.
-
2 - Hydroxy - 1,2,3 - Propanetricarboxylic Acid assists
the breakdown of carbohydrates to the molecular level for immediate
cellular absorption and also bonds with creatine allowing it to
transport in liquid form.
-
Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate - essential for maintaining
osmotic equilibrium (cellular fluid levels)
Tri-Creatine Malate
While we know that things such as creatine and other items help with weight
and muscle gain when combined with a smart lifting and eating program, the
combination of Kreb cycle and metabolic intermediates citrulline and malate
may have been overlooked by many in the sport supplement world.
A recent study found that
supplementing citrulline and malate (six grams total per day) over a 15-day
period reduced muscle fatigue, increased energy production (ATP) by 34%, and
caused a 20% increase in phosphocreatine recovery after exercise. Simply
put, this means that at least in this one study, the citrulline-malate
supplement improved aerobic metabolism, enhanced cellular energy production,
and induced an enhanced state of muscular recovery.
More studies are needed, but
this citrulline/malate combination just might be the next generation in
effective, natural sports supplements.
"The New and Improved
Creatine" goes over all the newest forms of creatine and creatine
delivery systems on the market, such as creatine citrate, phosphate, malate,
tartrate, and anhydrous. Of course, though they are all pricier than basic
creatine monohydrate, there’s not a lick of evidence to prove they are any
more effective.
The ultimate creatine
molecule that is water soluble. Tri-Creatine Malate comprises of molecular
bonded Creatine and Malic acid. The bond is broken in stomach acid to
release pure Creatine(not creatine monohydrate) and Malic acid. Both of
which are then immediately absorbed through the intestine. The beauty of
this stunning new Creatine salt is the fact that it contains Malic acid.
Malic acid supports energy production. Furthermore, Malic acid acts as a
catalyst to the Krebs cycle where fats and glucose are converted into
energy. All of this makes for a far more powerful energy supplement to your
diet in a superior stable format.
In Summary
Creatine supplementation is a successful supplement for most individuals
in its monohydrate form or one of the transport systems.
Expect gains in
energy, strength and muscle size from creatine use. These benefits will continue
for as long as creatine is used and around four weeks after cessation of use.
Gains in lean body
weight from enhanced strength and possibly enhanced protein synthesis can be
retained when coming off creatine.
Useful mainly in
sports related to short bursts of high intensity exercise such as weight
training and sprinting. Beneficial to endurance athletes also, so long as the
body weight gain does not hinder increased performance. Variation with dosage
normally reveals a beneficial optimum.
Possible side
effects to note are dehydration and muscle cramping. Resolve by increasing water
intake daily.
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