An Overview of Creatine Supplements
In their quest to run farther, jump higher, and outlast the competition, many athletes have turned to a variety of performance-enhancing drugs and supplements. Creatine is the most popular of these substances, believed to enhance muscle mass and help athletes achieve bursts of strength.
Part of the reason for creatine's popularity might be its accessibility. Creatine powder, tablets, energy bars, and drink mixes are available without a doctor's prescription at drug stores, supermarkets, nutrition stores, and over the Internet.
Although creatine is a natural substance, it hasn't been well-studied over the long-term. Researchers still aren't sure what effects it might have on the body, particularly in young people, or how effective it might be.
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What Is Creatine?
Creatine is a natural substance that turns into creatine phosphate in the body. Creatine phosphate helps make a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP provides the energy for muscle contractions.
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The body produces some of the creatine it uses. It also comes from protein-rich foods such as meat or fish.
How Is Creatine Used?
Back in the 1970s, scientists discovered that taking creatine in supplement form might enhance physical performance. In the 1990s, athletes started to catch on, and creatine became a popular sports supplement. According to studies, 8% of adolescents take creatine. The supplement is particularly popular among high school, college, and professional athletes, especially football and hockey players, wrestlers, and gymnasts. An estimated 40% of college athletes and up to half of professional athletes say they use creatine supplements.
Creatine is thought to improve strength, increase lean muscle mass, and help the muscles recover more quickly during exercise. This muscular boost may help athletes achieve bursts of speed and energy, especially during short bouts of high-intensity activities such as weight lifting or sprinting. However, scientific research on creatine has been mixed. Although some studies have found that it does help improve performance during short periods of athletic activity, there is no evidence that creatine helps with endurance sports. Research also shows that not everyone's muscles respond to creatine; some people who use it see no benefit.
Despite the popularity of creatine among young people, there has been very little research conducted in children under age 18. Of those studies, a few have suggested a positive effect but the overall evidence is inconclusive. In one study, teenage swimmers performed better after taking creatine; in another study, it helped high school soccer players sprint, dribble, and jump more effectively.
Researchers are studying whether creatine might also be useful for treating certain health conditions caused by weakened muscles, including:
- Heart failure and heart attack
- Huntington's disease
- Neuromuscular disorders, including muscular dystrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease)
Creatine is also being studied as a way to lower cholesterol in people with abnormally high levels. Although early research has been promising, it's too early to say for sure whether creatine is effective for any of these conditions.
Why is creatine such a big deal? What are the side effects? Risks?
Men’s Health Magazine, September 2013 By Brittany Risher
Creatine works. Lifters know this, professors know this, the marketers who sell the stuff know this.
But nobody should put anything in their body without weighing the benefits and risks first. That goes for everything from beer to marshmallows to the amazing amino acid called creatine.
It's not anything scary. It's not a Barry Bonds starter kit.
Creatine—typically bought in flavored powders and mixed with liquid—increases the body's ability to produce energy rapidly. With more energy, you can train harder and more often, producing faster results.
It's as simple as this: "If you can lift one or two more reps or 5 more pounds, your muscles will get bigger and stronger," says Chad Kerksick, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise physiology at the University of Oklahoma.
Research shows that creatine is most effective inhigh-intensity trainingand explosive activities. This includes weight training and sports that require short bursts of effort, such as sprinting, football, and baseball.
There is less support to indicate that creatine improves endurance performance and aerobic-type exercise.
One thing is almost certain: If you take creatine, you'll gain weight.
It'll happen quickly, says Paul Greenhaff, Ph.D., professor of muscle metabolism at the University of Nottingham in England. While the initial gain is water (about 2 to 4 pounds in the first week of supplementation), subsequent gains are muscle due to the increase in the workload you can handle.
Because creatine is an "osmotically active substance," it pulls water into your muscle cells, which increases protein synthesis, Kerksick says.
Studies in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that muscle fibers grow when a person takes creatine.
The catch: This only happens if you take advantage of the boost in energy and hit the gym. Otherwise, it is just water weight.
Nobody argues with any of this. But there are some questions about creatine that lots of guys have.
Any guy mixinghis first glass of creatine powder has hesitated. Is this the right move? His questions include:
Will creatine mess with my kidneys?
Researchers are constantly studying creatine—for effectiveness and safety. That's why many trainers and health experts support the use of creatine: Studies indicate it's safe.
"Creatine is one of the most-researched sports supplements out there," Kerksick says. "And there's no published literature to suggest it's unsafe."
Greenhaff has been studying creatine for about two decades, and says he never encounters the cramping that is sometimes reported. "I'm not saying people don't experience cramps, but I don't believe it can be very common," he says. "If there were any major adverse side effects, we would have seen them by now."
But there have been anecdotal reports of kidney damage, heart problems, muscle cramps and pulls, dehydration, and diarrhea, in addition to other negative side effects. The key word here: anecdotal.
Some of these conditions can be caused by consuming too much of certain vitamins, says Tod Cooperman, M.D., president ofConsumerLab.com. "Too much vitamin C can cause diarrhea, and too much iron may lead to stomach problems," he says.
To be safe, he recommends using creatine only if you are healthy and have no kidney problems. That's because your kidneys excrete creatinine, a breakdown product of creatine.
So there's no downside?
Not so fast, Biceps-Brain. If you can get big without it, there's no reason to use creatine.
"I feel it would be better for no one to use creatine even though it's shown to increase some strength and muscle mass," says Jim King, M.D., president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
"I wouldn't recommend doing anything that would show minimal improvement and possible risk. Weigh the negatives and the benefits before you try it."
Kids under age 18 should avoid creatine, King says, because few studies have been done on children using creatine as an exercise enhancement.
There have been reports of overexertion causing torn muscles. That can mean permanent damage. "Children are still in a growing phase, and we're not sure what impact creatine may have on muscles and bones as they grow," he says. "I feel very strongly that middle and even high schoolers shouldn't use it."
Will it transform me?
Here's one thing all the experts can agree on: It's impossible to say.
Creatine has different effects on every individual. Some people just don't respond to creatine—it's a genetic thing.
You should know in about a week a half;if your training volume increases, it's working for you. If not, you're probably a "nonresponder"—taking the powder isn't going to help you.
Diet is important. Meat, especially herring and beef, has high levels of creatine, so vegetarians usually see a greater response, while those whose diets are highly carnivorous may see less change.
Of course, a healthy diet is key to anyone's muscle-building plan. "If your diet is junk, there's no point in adding creatine," Kerksick says. "It's better to eat good sources of carbohydrates and lean protein."
In the end, creatine alone will not make you a bigger man.
"Only when combined with exercise does it improve the quality of training," Greenhaff says. "You still have to do the work."
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER (on your own paper):
1) Explain the relationship between creatine and ATP.
2) How does your body get creatine (2 ways)?
3) In what type of exercise is creatine the most effective?
4) Biologically, how does creatine work?
5) What are the side effects of taking creatine?
6) Does creatine work for everyone? Why?