Creatine is an amino acid involved in storing energy for use
by muscles. Muscle cells maintain a reservoir of phospocreatine
that can be drawn upon rapidly when muscles contract. Cooking
destroys most of the creatine in food, so it makes sense to
use creatine supplements if you want extra energy.
Studies of creatine’s effect on muscles show that
supplementation at 20 g/day for 5-7 days increases creatine reservoirs
by
10-30% and phosphocreatine reservoirs by 10-40%. Most studies
of creatine’s effects on energy and strength report significant
benefits for people of both sexes, all ages, fit and unfit, and
for people with certain illnesses. No significant bad side
effects have been reported.
Typical goals of creatine supplementation are:
enabling users to train harder
building muscle
increasing muscle strength in muscular dystrophy patients
improving symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injuries
enhancing memory and intelligence.
Read Creatine Monograph
Creatine is an amino acid involved in storing energy for use by
muscles. Muscle cells maintain a reservoir of creatine and its
derivative, phosphocreatine; the phosphocreatine reservoir can be drawn
upon rapidly when muscles contract. The phosphate in phosphocreatine is
used to make ATP, the biological world’s energy transfer molecule.
Creatine is found in meat and fish, but cooking destroys most of it.
The average person’s body makes and destroys
about 2 grams of creatine a day — in athletic people the rate may be
somewhat higher. Supplemental creatine significantly increases the size
of the muscles’ phosphocreatine reservoirs, leading to improvements in
muscle energy production and recuperation.
Creatine’s effect on muscles has been the
focus of hundreds of research studies. Typically these studies show
that short-term creatine supplementation (e.g. 20 g/day for 5-7 days)
increases creatine reservoirs by 10-30% and phosphocreatine reservoirs
by 10-40%. Most studies of creatine’s effects on energy and strength
report significant benefits for people of both sexes, all ages, fit and
unfit, and for people with certain illnesses. No significant bad side
effects have been reported.
Creatine’s benefits are primarily limited to
anaerobic sports such as weight lifting, sprinting and jumping. For
endurance (aerobic) athletes, the benefits derived from increased
muscle energy appear to be offset by weight gain from water and muscle.
Creatine builds muscle because it enables users to train harder;
typical doses should therefore have little effect on the muscle mass of
sedentary individuals. However, in a 2003 study, muscular dystrophy
patients using creatine experienced increases in muscle strength in the
legs, hands and feet.
Creatine is now being studied for its
effects on the nervous system. Already it is showing promise as a
treatment for Parkinson’s disease and for spinal cord injuries, and
appears also to be an enhancer of memory and intelligence.
The most common regimen for creatine
supplementation has two phases: a 5-10 day loading phase (20-25 g/day)
followed by a maintenance phase (2-5 g/day) to maintain muscle
saturation. Creatine absorption may be improved if the supplement is
taken with something sugary, such as fruit juice.
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Weight: 20 oz
