Creatine Monohydrate

Creatine is a natural nutrient found in our bodies. Most of its needs in the human body can be fulfilled through a balanced diet. The body manufactures stores and uses creatine for pursuits which require bursts of energy – like running at a high speed. An average person weigh 150 lbs has the ability to manufacture around 120 grams of creatine, and uses up around 2 grams in daily pursuits. It can be classified as a dietary health supplement, as one can consume, theoretically, enough creatine rich food – like red meat, to substitute supplementation.

Creatine Kinase is an enzyme found within the body. The enzyme is expressed by various tissues. Also known as phosphor-creatine kinase, the enzyme acts as a catalyst in the consumption of ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate) and the generation of ADP (adenosine di-phosphate). Phospho-creatine acts as an energy tank for all tissues which consume ATP, including the brain and the skeletal muscles. Under normal conditions a very small amount of creatine kinase (CK) can be found to be circulating in the human body. In fact the normal levels of creatine for females is between 10 – 79 units per liter, and that of males is 17 – 148 units per liter. Elevation of creatine kinase indicates an injury, like damaged muscles. Lowered enzyme levels might indicate liver disease or rheumatoid arthritis.

In the cell, CK consists of two sub-units. These can be either brain-type, or muscle-type. Thus the CK enzyme is there in the form of three iso-enzymes, CK-MM, CK-BB and CK-BM. The genes of these enzymes are present within different chromosomes. There also exists two mitochondrial Creatine Kinases. CK-BB is present in tissues in extremely minute quantities. Skeletal muscles produce CK-MM and very low levels of CK-BM. Mitochondrial Creatine Kinase (CKm) produces ATP from ADP, which is the source of energy. It is present in the mitochondrial form between two members of the mitochondrion.

Apart from this, in the citosol there exists three forms of CK. CKa  produces ATP in the cytosol when it is critically required, ), CKc maintains a critical balance in the cell between Creatine Kinase and Creatine phosphate. CKg, on the other hand, couples phosphorylation of creatine to the glycolytic pathway.

According to experts, the CK blood level test is recommended to identify heart attack, and muscle damage. It is preferred by physicians for such diagnostic tests because unlike other enzymes in the skeletal muscles, CK is not elevated falsely by hemolytic reactions. Despite the advantages which CK has to be used as a diagnostic tool, certain uncertainties in diagnosis might be created if high levels of the enzyme id detected in an asymptomatic patient.

The importance of exercising among people above sixty years of age, has been repeatedly stressed. Currently, an assessment has been made of beneficial and detrimental effects of a workout regime followed by this age group. This has been done by measuring the physiological indicators like heart rate, body fat analysis, stiffness or perceived pain etc. The analysis made by experts includes among other investigations, the measurement of creatine kinase within the body of the sixty year olds.

Creatine or methyl guanidine – acetic acid is a natural energy providing protein which is found in the bodies of vertebrates. Methionine, Arginine and Glycine combine in the liver to form the metabolite we know as Creatine.  Ones diet also acts as a source of creatine. Health freaks, body builders and athletes take creatine as a dietary supplement to gain energy for workouts. Physicians warn that improper dosage of creatine can result in short term effects like weight gain, nausea, vomiting, muscle and stomach cramps to long term effects like Kidney and Gastro Intestinal problems.

Dosage has been a bone of contention among users. When using creatine, one should keep in mind that not everyone reacts to creatine in the same way. Users having less creatine in the body, like vegetarians, show a quicker and more perceptible reaction to creatine. Meat eaters, who have presence of creatine in their body in comparatively larger quantities, will have a slower reaction. This should not lead the latter group to take higher dosages of creatine.

Athletes using creatine take a “loading dose” of 20 to 25 grams a day for one week; then begin a “maintenance cycle” of 3 to 5 grams per day. The “loading” and “maintenance” dosage recommendations differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. Usually the “maintenance cycle” is continued for a month after which athletes “cycle off” from creatine for a week or so. This follows a resumption of creatine with the “loading dose”. Cycling creatine dosages help athletes to overcome any immunity which the body builds against it and take advantage of the extra water weight and strength which comes from reloading.

Creatine dosage has been in debate among physicians for a long time. Critics of creatine and physicians have spoken against excessive intake and blamed this for all side effects which have been reported by creatine users. It is recommended that creatine be taken in measured dosages of 3-5 gms to minimize loss of creatine due to excretion through urination. They also suggest that regular checks of creatine in the users must be made, to check levels of creatinine. Kidneys in the body maintain normal creatine levels. Blood tests to check creatine levels are a reliable indicator of whether the kidneys are functioning properly. High levels of creatine in the blood suggest an impending renal failure.

Through creatine cycling athletes try to replicate its results which were obtained when they started to take it. Creatine, through a process of loading and off-loading has been becomes the most effective health supplement. There may of course be disadvantages to ingesting creatine in high dosages frequently. Among these, the most apparent is that the body may stop its own creatine manufacturing process, when creatine is ingested in high dosages. Though studies have not confirmed this, trainers and physicians believe this to be true.

Users are advised to follow dosage specifications and schedules. Users are advised not to skip servings or attempt to make up for missed servings by taking more creatine in the next dose.

Creatine is nitrogenous organic acid occurring naturally in all vertebrates. Creatine helps to supply energy to muscle and nerve cells. The body manufactures, stores and uses creatine for pursuits which require bursts of energy – like running at a high speed.

Creatine Monohydrate is highly reputed diet supplement which improves athletic performance. Creatine is widely used by athletes and bodybuilders for anerobic exercises, such as weight training. Creatine increases energy reserves, thus by the virtue of its use more energy becomes available for high intensity exercises and recovery is faster after workouts. Creatine monohydrate affects nitrogen production within the body to delay fatigue. When used in a training program creatine allegedly also facilitates muscle repair, and stimulates muscle strength.

There is a lot of conflict on the issue of how creatine works – how it provides performance enhancing benefits and increases lean muscle mass. Research report on the subject has concluded that creatine is able to achieve this by two mechanisms:

1. Intra-cellular water retention.
2. Ability to enhance ATP production.

Creatine has been shown to absorb and retain water, once its stored inside the cell. This makes the cell expand. Muscles thus filled with water mass, seem larger and fuller. I addition to this, creatine provides the body the ability to recover faster from anaerobic exercises like weight lifting and running. It does this by facilitating production of ATP, which is the main fuel for the enzyme motors in initial high-intensity muscle activity, within the cell, which in turn provides energy by releasing phosphate molecules. Unfortunately this is short-lived, since ATP, after giving up phosphate ions becomes ADP. So the muscles start to burn glycogen for energy. Lactic acid is the byproduct of this process, and its this by product which causes muscle fatigue and cause muscles to stop contracting.

Creatine improves glycogen synthesis which enables muscles to work out for a longer period. In addition to this creatine assists lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The mechanism for this is still unknown. Due to its ability to provide instant energy, creatine has become very popular aming health freaks and especially among athletes who require sudden bursts of energy during their workout and because they have to recover quickly between workout sessions.

Most studies in this area have performed evaluations on muscular performance by gathering data from in high intensity exercises about creatine concentration in muscles, ability to re-synthesize ATP and increase of buffering of the acidic environment under which the muscles function. Athletes performing in the test reported a benefit from ingesting creatine. However the benefits only collate when a strict exercise regimen is followed.  Except for a few isolated cases, the study reported no evidence that creatine assists sporting activities which require endurance and energy supplies over a period of time, like long distance running.

Whatever may be the case, athletes using or aiming to use creatine should do so cautiously, and after consultation with their governing sporting body and a physician. creatine has received mixed reviews from athletes on how it helped them to enhance performance. While some including tennis professionals, claimed that they found no difference before and after creatine use, weightlifters and body builders gave creatine a full confidence rating. More research is imperative on creatine and its benefits.

Creatine is a natural nutrient found in our bodies. Most of the needs of creatine of the human body can be fulfilled through a balanced diet. However, bodybuilders, athletes and a vast majority of individuals following a fitness regime, resort to creatine supplements because it has proven to increase body mass and lean muscle formation, in a very short span of time.

Creatine is available in several forms in the market – phosphate, citrate and monohydrate. Among these, the most popular form of creatine is the monohydrate. Nearly all successful clinical trials have been on this form of creatine. It should be taken with a non – acidic drink. This is because creatine converts to creatinine in an acidic environment. Grape juice is highly recommended as a drink to accompany creatine ingestion. It is also okay to mix creatine with other proteins.

Users usually cycle the dosage of creatine over a period, to achieve maximum results. Users generally start with a high dosage – called the Loading dose, which continues for a week. This is followed by the maintenance dose for a month, during which users lower their dosage substantially. To complete the cycle, the users then stay off from creatine for a week and then start to load again. The Loading phase is very critical. The body is unused to higher amounts of creatine in the body, thus users prefer to ‘load’ creatine in their body to maximize results. Users generally take around 15 – 20 grams of creatine before or after workout during the loading phase. This is continued for a week during which the body is given a chance to acclimatize to the excess creatine within the body.

Dosage has been a bone of contention among users. “How much is enough?” – is a frequently asked question. Critics of creatine have suggested that the loading phase is not only harmful for the body, it is useless as well. An average person weigh 150 lbs has the ability to manufacture around 120 grams of creatine, and uses up around 2 grams in daily pursuits. They argue that, since creatine is naturally produced within the body, the body has a limited tolerance for excess creatine, which is thus stored as fat or excreted through urination, which results in wastage of creatine. Critics also suggest that the in the loading phase, dosage should be limited to 5 – 10 grams for a week, for optimum results, which should be followed by a lower dosage. One should keep in mind that not everyone reacts to creatine in the same way. Users having less creatine in the body, like vegetarians, show a quicker and more perceptible reaction to creatine. Meat eaters, who have presence of creatine in their body in comparatively larger quantities, will have a slower reaction. This should not lead the latter group to take higher dosages of creatine.

Critics of creatine have suggested that the loading phase is not only harmful for the body, it is useless as well. An average person weigh 150 lbs has the ability to manufacture around 120 grams of creatine, and uses up around 2 grams of creatine in daily pursuits. They argue that, since creatine is naturally produced within the body, the body has a limited tolerance for excess creatine, which is thus stored as fat or excreted through urination, which results in wastage of creatine. Critics suggest that the in the Loading phase, dosage should be limited to 5 – 10 grams for a week, for optimum results, which should be followed by a lower dosage.

Creatine is nitrogenous organic acid occurring naturally in all vertebrates. It helps to supply energy to muscle and nerve cells. The body manufactures stores and uses creatine for pursuits which require bursts of energy – like running at a high speed. It can be classified as a dietary health supplement, as one can consume, theoretically, enough creatine rich food – like red meat, to substitute supplementation. Bodybuilders, athletes and a vast majority of individuals following a fitness regime, resort to creatine supplements because it has proven to increase body mass and lean muscle formation, in a very short span of time.

Creatine is available in several forms in the market – phosphate, citrate and monohydrate. Among these, phosphates are not easily absorbed by the body, and thus do not yield effective results. The citrate form is gaining in popularity among users, yet industry analysts confirm that research about this product is few and far between. The most popular form of creatine is the monohydrate. Nearly all successful clinical trials have been on this form of creatine.

Creatine Supplements are available in various forms:

1. Powder: The majority of users use the powder form. It is recommended that creatine should be taken with a non – acidic drink. This is because creatine converts to creatinine in an acidic environment.  Grape juice is highly recommended as a drink to accompany creatine ingestion. It is also ok to mix creatine with other proteins. The disadvantage of taking powdered creatine is that a lot of it is wasted in the digestion process or simply left unabsorbed. This leads to indigestion and dehydration.
2. Pills:  Pills are available in various denominations of weights. The advantages and disadvantages of pills are mostly similar to powdered creatine. Pills are easier to ingest since they don’t have to be mixed anything.
3. Creatine Serum: Creatine can also be ingested in the liquid or serum form. There are numerous advantages in theory, to serum over powder. Creatine serum when gets ingested gets directly absorbed, which means less creatine serum produces same effects. However the major disadvantage of creatine serum is that creatine is unstable in solution and when left over a few minutes, starts to break into creatinine – a waste product.
4. Creatine Gum: Chewing gum with creatine is also available. The logic behind is that when the gum is chewed in the month creatine released can be easily absorbed.

Users generally start with a high dosage of their choice of Creatine supplement. This phase is called the Loading dose, which continues for a week. This is followed by the Maintenance dose for a month, during which users lower their dosage substantially. To complete the cycle, the users then stay off from Creatine for a week and then start to load again.

Users are advised to follow dosage specifications and schedules. Taking more Creatine usually results in a waste since excess Creatine is excreted by the body through urine. Users are advised not to skip servings or attempt to make up for missed servings by taking more Creatine in the next dose.

Creatine is nitrogenous organic acid occurring naturally in all vertebrates. Creatine helps to supply energy to muscle and nerve cells. The body manufactures stores and uses creatine for pursuits which require bursts of energy – like running at a high speed. An average person weigh 150 lbs has the ability to manufacture around 120 grams of creatine, and uses up around 2 grams of creatine in daily pursuits. Creatine can be classified as a dietary health supplement, as one can consume, theoretically, enough creatine rich food – like red meat, to substitute supplementation.

A creatine diet improves performance in the gym and on field. Sporting performance of sprinters, football players and basket ball players, for example, have shown marked improvement with use of creatine supplements. It also helps in muscle re-growth – which means, one can gain up to 4 pounds in less than a week, with a creatine diet. Bodybuilders benefit hugely from a creatine diet – it has been shown to enhance maximal strength and accelerate lean muscle mass.

Creatine has quite often been likened to anabolic steroids, because it provides the user with higher amount of energy and increases lean muscle mass. But nothing could be further from truth. Though both anabolic steroids and creatine enhance performance, and both are ingested as supplements, the basic difference lies in the chemical structure of the two. Anabolic steroids like testosterone are hormones, while creatine is a protein available in the body.

Unexplained Side Effects:

Though creatine supplement marketers claim it doesn’t have any side effects and in fact benefits the body if used over a period of time, reports of users suffering from increased aggressiveness, anxiety, acne, male breast formation (Gynecomastia), a reduction in penis size, hair loss (men) and body hair growth (women). Of these, increased aggressiveness, acne and hair loss are the most frequently reported. Gastrointestinal complications have also been commonly reported among users of creatine supplements. Moreover, scientific studies have proved that increase in body mass from its use can be attributed to water retention by muscle. Use of creatine in sports, as a performance enhancer is controversial. Though it still remains one of the most popular supplements used by sportspeople, many people have reacted negatively to the use of creatine to enhance performance, and seek to ban it for use by individuals involved in competitive sports. It has been also proven that a highly acidic environment, like the stomach, can cause pure creatine to convert into creatinine, which nullifies all its beneficial effects. To minimize this, manufacturers add alkaline phosphates to their supplements. The effect of such compounds on the body has not been analyzed.

Creatine is available on the internet, and in retail and wholesale drug stores. In drug stores it is sold as an over-the-counter drug, which means that one does not need to produce a doctor’s certificate. Before buying creatine one must consult ones physician to check dosage, and type of creatine. It should be used responsibly and the ideal way to do this would be to limit intake to 3 to 5 grams almost every day for three weeks followed by 3 grams two to four times a week. It is also recommended that users take a break from creatine for at least a week, in a month.