Creatine is actually a blend of amino acids (protein building blocks) that are amassed in the skeletal muscles. These muscles may employ a creatine derivative called creatine phosphate to keep the muscles contractions going at times when the common fuel, a substance known as ATP (adenosine triphosphate), is depleted. In other words, here is an instance of the manner in which creatine acts: while you pick up a weighty substance, the muscles in your arms constrict or abridge with a view to supply the required power as well as endurance.
The energy required for contacting the arm muscles is obtained by transforming ATP to ADP (adenosine diphosphate). When the ATP stored in the muscles is drained out, creatine comes to salvage the situation by supplying the phosphate molecule enclosed by it to make additional ADP. Hence, it is clear that having elevated reserves of creatine phosphates enables the muscles to work for a longer period as well as more powerfully.
As mentioned earlier, our body produces creatine by means of blending specific amino acids (building blocks of proteins) and subsequently accumulating it in the skeletal muscles. It may be noted that creatine supplements are sold in the market in the form of muscle builders as well as supplements that boost up the performance of athletes.
At its best, the scientific proof that endorses the effectiveness of taking creatine supplements is a mixed one. While there are a number of proofs that taking creatine supplements may facilitates the muscles to retain additional water, and hypothetically, fluids that contain high amounts of creatine may perhaps provide addition fuel at the time when it is required. Findings of some researches have related ingestion of creatine supplement with reticent enhancements in the muscles accumulation as well as strength in athletes; however, several of them have reported that they did not find any noticeable beneficial effect of taking creatine supplements. In effect, majority of the drive for creatine's use has been founded on the certifications of bodybuilders as well as professional sportspersons who have asserted that ingestion of creatine has provided them with a competitive advantage. In fact, their testimonials have encouraged several million budding athletes to ingest creatine supplements, frequently in the form of a more protected substitute to anabolic steroids. However, scientists have emphasized that there is no supplement which will help in augmenting the muscle mass as well as strength; as an alternative, it is enhanced use of muscles that completes these purposes. That is to say, it is actually working out (undertaking exercises) and not creatine, which helps to develop the swelling muscles that the weight lifters as well as the sportspersons have a propensity to exhibit.
It may be noted that our body produces the entire creatine that it generally requires from foods containing high amounts of protein, such as fish, meat, egg whites, poultry, soybeans, milk and milk products as well as a mixture of grains and legumes.
Creatine supplements are sold in various forms, counting creatine monohydrate, which is a crystalline dust. This product may be ingested by mixing it in a full glass (about 8 oz) of water or just peppered over food. While taking creatine supplements, ensure that you drink enough water throughout the day, and also keep away from beverages like coffee, colas and any drink that is caffeinated. It may be noted that caffeine possesses diuretic attributes and this may neutralize whatever advantageous consequences that creatine may have, as caffeine is known to drain the fluids from the muscle tissues.
People advocating the use of creatine supplements suggest taking them with a comparatively elevated loading dosage of one teaspoon (5 grams) taken four to five times every day for the initial five to seven days and subsequently cut the dosage down to one teaspoonful twice every day or every alternate day for a maximum period of five days every week. According to a number of authorities, it is advisable to restrict the dosage of creatine supplements to three weeks every month and then stopping the supplement for a complete month after you have taken it for two consecutive months. Then again, a number of athletic trainers or coaches suggest that creatine supplements should be taken in the form of a pre-season conditioning and subsequently discontinuing taking creatine supplements for the period throughout the competitive season. However, it needs to be mentioned that these recommendations are not based on any scientific evidence.
For instance, taking a high dosage of 5 grams of creatine supplement every day for a period of over a few weeks may result in certain side effects, giddiness, queasiness, diarrhea and maybe even muscle spasms. Prolonged use of creatine supplements may even prove to be detrimental for the kidneys. Although you may not be suffering from any kidney problem, taking creatine supplements may lead to ambiguous blood examinations. This actually happens when the blood tests display high blood levels of creatinine - a metabolic offshoot of creatine. Typically, high levels of creatinine are an indication of a kidney problem.
In fact, there are several reports that using creatine supplements have resulted in kidney damage, for instance conditions like interstitial nephritis. Hence, it is advisable that people suffering from kidney ailments ought to avoid using creatine supplements. Likewise, use of creatine may also have an affect on the liver and hence, it is advisable that people suffering from basic liver ailments should also exercise caution while taking this supplement. However, findings of several researches have revealed that oral use of creatine supplements have little or no undesirable effects on the liver or the kidney. Way back in 2004, the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA) has made a document public that said that prolonged oral ingestion of 3 grams of unadulterated creatine every day is harmless for our health.
However, prolonged use of big amounts of creatine is said to enhance the body's formaldehyde production; in effect, formaldehyde is known to have the aptitude to cause grave undesirable side effect. Nevertheless, this hazard is mostly speculative, since excretion of formaldehyde through urination, even when an individual takes large amounts of creatine supplements, never goes beyond the standard limits.
Majority of the studies on humans relating to the efficacy and safety of using creatine supplements have been undertaken in laboratories and not in individuals involved in genuine sporting activities. While not the entire clinical studies undertaken thus far concur, a number of them undertaken in animals as well as in humans have revealed that using creatine supplements augment the vigour or power and slender muscle mass in the course of high intensity as well as work-outs for brief periods, for instance weight lifting. It may be noted that in all such researches, scientists observed positive results mostly among young people, who were in the age group of 20 years.
However, it has been noticed that use of creatine supplements apparently does not enhance performance while exercising that needs endurance, such as running, or in work-outs which are not repeated. Nevertheless, the results of these studies were assorted.
While neither the International Olympic Committee nor the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have banned the use of creatine, intake of this supplement for enhancing one's performance in any athletic event is contentious. Although it does not prohibit athletes from using creatine supplements, the National Collegiate Athletic Association disallows its member schools from providing creatine or any other supplements that are said to facilitate building muscles to the athletes.
In general, creatine seems to be harmless for our health, however, when this supplement is administered in large doses, it has the potential to result in grave side effects, for instance cause damage to the kidneys. It is also likely that taking large doses of creatine would prevent the body from producing its own creatine.
It may be noted that a number of manufacturers often directly market creatine supplements to teenagers with the claim that using them would alter their bodies even with no exercising. According to one survey undertaken among college students disclosed that the teenaged athletes or sportspersons often go beyond the suggested dosage as well as maintenance doses of creatine supplements. However, the survey did not try to find out whether use of creatine was effective and safe among people below the age of 19.
An initial clinical trial hints that using creatine supplements may possibly facilitate in lessening the triglycerides (fats present in the blood stream) levels in men as well as women having elevated intensity of triglycerides.
Findings of a small number of clinical trials of people who have endured heart failures and who took creatine, as well as normal medical care, were capable of enhancing the amount of work-outs they were able to perform prior to being exhausted, in comparison to people who were given placebo. It may be noted that becoming exhausted easily is a major symptom for heart failure. According to the findings of a clinical trial involving 20 people having heart failure, taking creatine supplements for a brief period along with the normal medications results in an enhancement in one's body weight as well as an augmentation in the strength of the muscles.
In addition, it has also been reported that creatine facilitates in bringing down homocysteine levels. It may be noted that homocysteine is related to heart ailments, counting stroke and heart attacks.
A double-blind research undertaken on people enduring chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and who were taking creatine showed that use of this supplement enhanced the muscle mass, power as well as stamina. At the same time it showed that the health status of these people improved in comparison to people who were given placebo. However, these people were not able to enhance their exercise capacity. Most experts are of the view that further researches are necessary to find out if creatine possesses any beneficial attributes for people enduring COPD.
At the same time, it may be mentioned that people enduring muscular dystrophy are likely to have very less amount of creatine in their muscle cells and this may, in turn, result in debility of muscles. According to the findings of another research, using creatine supplements resulted in a marginal enhancement in muscle power. Nevertheless, many other studies on this subject did not find any effect of creatine on the muscles.
The health or strength of people having Parkinson's disease is much less. In addition, they also have lessened muscle mass and enhanced exhaustion. In this context, it may be mentioned that another small clinical trial discovered that administering creatine to people enduring Parkinson's disease helped to augment their capacity to exercise as well as their muscle endurance. In yet one more clinical research it was found the creatine supplements helped to perk up the mood of the participants and they did not require increasing the dosage of their medicine as concerns people who did not take creatine. As in other instances, further research is necessary in this domain also.
In addition, creatine has also shown to bring about reasonable enhancements in vigour in people enduring an assortment of neuromuscular problems. In fact, earlier and even to this day, scientists continue to study creatine supplementation as a potential remedial method for treating muscular, neurological, and neuromuscular as well as neurodegenerative ailments, including congestive heart failure, arthritis, gyrate atrophy, and disuse atrophy, Huntington's disease, McArdle's disease, mitochondrial disease, various neuromuscular diseases, muscular dystrophy and also neuro-protection.
Findings of another research with animals have shown that creatine is two times as useful as the prescription medication riluzole in increasing the life-span of mice suffering from degenerative neural disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), a condition of unknown cause wherein progressive break down of the motor neurons in the brain as well as the spinal cord results in atrophy and ultimately total paralysis of the voluntary muscles. In effect, the neuro-protective consequences of creatine in the mouse prototype of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may possibly be owing to any enhanced supply of energy to the damaged nerve cells or owing to any obstruction of the chemical conduit that results in the death of a cell.
It may be mentioned here that a comparable hopeful result has also been found in extending the life of transgenic mice (relating to transfer of genes from other species of mice) that are enduring Huntington's disease - an innate ailment that causes the progressive degeneration of nerve cells inside the brain. It has been found that treatment with creatine helped to reduce brain atrophy as well as the development of intra-nuclear inclusions, mitigated lessening in the case of striatal N-acetylaspartate (NAA), and put off the setting off of high blood sugar or hyperglycemia.
