Creatine Facts and its Side Effects
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.