About Creatine

Creatine is an amino acid that is used in muscle cells to retain energy for vigorous physical activities such as running. Creatine is a naturally produced material by the body, but it is also possible to take creatine supplements. Many athletes do this to get more energy and endurance. Creatine helps athletic performance, but has several proven side effects, most notably increased body weight.

Function

During intense physical activity, phosphocreatine breaks down into creatine and phosphate. During this time, energy is released to replace and recreate the primary energy source, which is adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP cannot be restored quickly enough to satisfy the strenuous demand of the exercise. This is why larger amounts of phosphocreatine lessen exhaustion during exercise.

Benefits

Creatine has many different benefits, such as increasing muscle strength, increasing endurance levels, aiding in reducing muscle waste, promoting lean muscle mass, increasing muscle work capacity, increasing muscle cell volume with water and increasing glycogen resynthesis.

Warning

Creatine can cause side effects ranging from mild to extremely serious and dangerous. Creatine can cause nausea, cramping and an upset stomach. Since creatine absorbs water from cells, which therefore raises the water mass of the muscles, it can also cause dehydration and obesity. Creatine dehydration can also lead to depression and anger issues. Some more serious creatine side effects include kidney and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as severe anxiety, acne and even male breast development.

Considerations

When deciding whether you should take creatine supplements or not, consider certain factors such as your gender, age and level of physical activity. The younger you are, the more creatine will benefit you. In the elderly, increased creatine can cause loss of strength and some functional abilities. Creatine is also better for more physically active people, as the more active you are, the more results you'll see from creatine. Women naturally have higher creatine storage levels, but can benefit from creatine supplements as well. Men are more likely to see negative side effects from creatine use, such as the aforementioned breast formation (gynecomastia).

Types

There are a lot of different types of creatine from which to choose. Some of the most popular creatine forms are Effervescent Creatine, Creatine Citrate, Creatine Orate, Creatine Malate, Creatine Kre-Alkalyn and Creatine Ethyl Ester (CEE). Creatine as a serum or liquid is also available.