Creatine

Introduction

Creatine is a fuel source for ATP, which is in turn used for short bursts of power. It has since been shown that if used correctly, it is a safe supplement.

Creatine is naturally found in animal proteins and fish and increases the body's ability to produce energy. With more energy, you can train harder and more often, producing faster results.

Research shows that creatine is most effective in high-intensity training and explosive activities. This includes weight training and sports that require short bursts of effort, such as sprinting, football, and baseball.

It is important to note that your diet is also important. If your diet is poor then you would be better off improving it to see results from increased carbohydrate and protein levels.

Weight Gain

If you take creatine, it's very likely you will end up gaining weight.

Creatine pulls water into your muscle cells and thus increases protein synthesis.

The initial gain is water (about 2 to 4 pounds in the first week of supplementation), with further gains being muscle due to the increase in the workload you can perform.

To make the most of the energy boost you need to take creatine with exercise (as opposed to on its own). Otherwise, the weight you gain will just be water weight.

Some benefits:

1. Enhanced Recovery

2. Enhanced Muscle Volumization

3. High Intensity Work

4. Improved Anaerobic Capacity

5. Enhanced Brain Function

6. Improved Bone Healing

7. May Reduce Sarcopaenia (Age Related Muscle Loss)

8. Improves Performance & Muscle Mass Status In Vegetarians

Problems?

Though some may claim there are some adverse effects of creatine use, there are in fact no published journals with evidence to support these claims.

There are a few studies that have helped to clear creatine's name:

In 2003, Dr. Kreider and his colleagues found that long-term creatine use (5g per day over a 21 month period) did not cause any problems for football athletes who compared to those not using creatine. The athletes who did take creatine actually experienced less cramping, muscle pulls, muscle tightness, dehydration, illnesses and contact injuries.

A more recent study (May, 2005) found 200 subjects taking 10 grams of creatine per day for 310 days experienced no significant health differences compared to those who took a placebo.

The fact is that if used correctly, creatine will benefit, rather than harm your health.

What Type?

Some studies have shown that liquid creatine and creatine ethyl ester (CEE) are unstable and break down in your blood system, thus powder is the most reliable way to go.

It is also advantageous to take it with fruit juice. The sugar in the juice raises insulin levels, which helps increase creatine uptake into the muscle.

To gain the most from creatine it is best to buy the best quality you can, buying cheap is not advised when it comes to looking after your body.

Conclusion

Creatine can provide many benefits including:

Though there are clearly many benefits to using creatine it is important to weigh the pros and cons before consuming any product. As children are in the growing phase and only a few studies have been done on the effects of bones and muscles as they grow, it is recommended that creatine supplements are not used by under 18s.

Also in order to minimize risks, if you are able to produce the gains without using creatine it is recommended to continue not to use it.

That being said, creatine is one of the most-researched sports supplements out there and there's no published literature to suggest it's unsafe. If there were any major adverse side effects, we would have seen them by now.

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