Creatine monohydrate and exercise

Creatine. This may be the most important ergogenic aid ever discovered! Creatine monohydrate helps in building muscle mass and strength and currently is being used by a large number of both professional and amateur athletes. Many current NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB players use it regularly. More than a hundred studies have documented creatine's potential benefit in improving athletic performance and enhancing the muscle building process.

Creatine is an amino acid that occurs naturally in the body and supplies energy for the muscles through its involvement in the reactions that result in the formation of ATP. Creatine is stored in the muscles either as free creatine or as phosphocreatine. Power output often drops as phosphocreatine becomes depleted as the body cannot regenerate ATP fast enough to meet the demands of the exercise. Ingestion of creatine orally has been shown to increase the level of phosphocreatine in the muscles.(1,2) This allows for enhanced performance in high intensity activities, such as sprinting and weight training, which rely upon phosphocreatine for energy.(3) Creatine also serves as a hydrogen ion buffer, which helps the body to maintain normal pH levels, thus avoiding the acid build up that can result in fatigue while exercising.(4) In addition, creatine supplementation appears to result in increased protein synthesis and muscle hypertrophy.(3,5,24)

Creatine monohydrate supplementation has been shown to result in increases in strength during weight training(6,7,8,9,10) and in improved performance while running(9,11,12,13), cycling(6,14,15,16), rowing(17), swimming(18), and in vertical jump.(24) Improvements during weight training have been in maximal(9) and near maximal bench press strength(8,10), in increased number of reps performed with a moderate weight(6,7,8), in increased number of reps while performing knee extensions(7), and in increased power while performing jump squats.(10)

Creatine has been used in the medical setting as an antiarrhythmic agent and in the treatment of ischemic heart disease, as a cardioprotective agent during heart surgery, and to prevent post-surgical wasting of muscle tissue.(19) Recent research indicates it may be beneficial in the treatment of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease)(20) and muscular dystrophy.(21)

Creatine has not been shown by research to result in any negative side effects, except for some weight gain, even in studies looking at dosages of 25g/day for up to 1 year.(19) Recently there has been much discussion and anecdotal reports among the sports coaching and trainers community about increased rate of muscle cramping related to creatine supplementation. It is believed that a dehydration effect may result from the intracellular muscle fluid retention that results from creatine. In fact, a number of amateur and professional teams have banned their players from using it over concerns about the possible increase in cramps and muscle pulls. No serious scientific data has yet been published to either verify or deny these claims. However, none of the creatine studies, including those using intense training in hot and humid conditions, have reported any cramping, dehydration or increased susceptibility to muscle strains or pulls.(19)

There has been some controversy about three wrestlers who died from dehydration while taking creatine. They were trying to make weight for a wrestling match and were purposely dehydrating themselves. Could creatine have contributed to their deaths? Could creatine have placed an additional load on their already stressed out kidneys? On the other hand, why were they taking creatine when they were trying to lose weight? These questions have not been answered and additional research should look into them.

The medical community has expressed its concern over the possibility that long term creatine use could have a negative effect on cancer risk, the heart, the brain, or the reproductive organs, since these organs naturally contain creatine.(25,26) However, to date, no research has shown any negative effects from creatine on any of these organs or on cancer risk. For all we know, it may help protect the body from cancer by preventing some of the wasting of tissue associated with cancer. In fact, one report in the Journal of Neurology recently found that taking creatine helped to prevent brain damage due to a blow to the head.

I recommend that if you choose to supplement with creatine, that you drink additional quantities of water--both with the creatine and after consuming it. Also, avoid taking in creatine when your body is not properly hydrated--therefore avoid taking it at halftime during a game, etc.. You should ingest creatine with some carbohydrates to take advantage of the insulin uptake effect. The carbohydrate intake has been shown to enhance the benefits of creatine.(22,23) (Caffeine should be avoided as this may counteract some of creatine's ergogenic effects.(19)

[www.drweitz.com]

A good source for creatine is www.jomarlabs.com, but I am not affiliated in any way.

Richard

Interesting. I used creatine to gain size when I was younger, but never considered the other benefits of it.

Question: when I did use it, I would cycle it over a three month period, would this still hold true, or are we talking constant intake? (I'm at work, and won't be able to read thru all of the links).

sm

Pretty interesting stuff. My water intake requirements increased after starting norpace and I wonder if I should proceed with caution. I would like to supplement with creatine to help optimize my running and strength training. Any thoughts or experiences to share?

From a purely strength training background, the stuff works, but you won't cut out, simply get some bulk size. You get more of the "bloated" look, which I found is easily controlled with running cycling, skiing...whatever your choice. BTW, I never noticed a marked improvement with regards to my aerobic performance with the creatine, simply my explosive power. Granted, I did "cycle" it, meaning that I'd measure my creatine intake over a 30-60 day period, then back off for a month, then cycle back on, (I kept notes as to how much, but I'm not sure I still have those).

I'll state the obvious here: hydrate! When you're running, do you carry water with you? It may be an inconvenience, but when I ride I carry a hydr-pak that has a 100 oz bladder full of the good stuff (with some Endurox or Gatorade powder mixed in for the really hot, humid days). I know many companies offer trimmed down, minimal packs that carry 40-70 oz, and are not bulky with extra storage space.

I have not used creatine in over three years, but now that I'm on a mission regarding the afib, I may take another look at the whole thing. I never put it in the light that Richard presents it, but it makes perfect sense.

Not sure if this helps at all, just my $.02

sm

Make sure that you thoroughly research creatine before instituting its use. I just happened to find this article and presented it, because it had been used as an antiarrhythmic, but I do not advocate its use, as I know very little about it. I know that I read, if one has kidney insufficiencies, that creatine can cause problems. Creatine is naturally formed from the amino acids, arginine and glycine. I do know that the creatine kinase is an important component of the ATP cycle. Maybe one would be better served by taking the amino acids that make creatine. I have read that when taking aminos, it is important to take a blend, before just taking singular aminos, so not to throw the balance off. Here are some excellent books about amino acids, with the first one being my favorite and an excellent book for anyone's library.

The Healing Nutrients Within by Dr. Eric Braverman
Amino Acid Revolution by Dr. Erdmann (who I recently found to live within 30 min. of my home)
Amino Acids in Therapy by Leon Chaitow, D.O., N.D.

Another good book is "The Arginine Solution" by Robert Fried Ph.D.

Richard