Creatine for Teens
Creatine is a muscle-building supplement that is designed to increase muscle mass quickly. Many teens use this product to gain weight and become larger for sports and other physical activities. Some people have concerns about the medical implications of growing bodies taking supplements of this nature. They believe that only adults should be allowed to take creatine. There are many different kinds of creatine supplements, but they are all designed to perform the same task.
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Function
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Creatine is designed to increase the muscle mass in the body. Teens who take creatine have strict diets and times that they take creatine for maximum effects. Most teens who take creatine are boys who hope to gain weight. They do not like being skinny, gangly boys, but would rather look like full-grown men. There are very few girls who take creatine, mostly because it does create a large amount of weight gain.
Effects
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There are different effects when taking creatine for different people. For 10 percent of teens, creatine has no effect at all. The other 90 percent experience muscle mass gain and weight gain within just a few weeks of taking creatine. It is possible for most teens who take creatine several times a day to gain 20 pounds within a month. This usually only works in conjunction with heavy exercise and muscle-building activities. Some teens report mild side effects, such as stomach cramps, diarrhea, and bloating. Usually creatine is taken in conjunction with large amounts of water so it will also cause the need to urinate frequently.
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Types
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There are many different types of creatine. Most forms of creatine come in a large granular powder mix. It is usually best to stick to the larger brands of creatine to ensure the quality of the product. Some of the best brands are Prolab, AST, Twinlab and Dymatize. Each of these brands have slightly different mixes and appearances of the powder.
Benefits
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The main benefits of using creatine are that they enable someone who works out a lot to gain weight and muscle mass quickly. Creatine makes working out a lot more effective, which teens like. The quick results the creatine provides also is a benefit that makes it popular with teens. However, as with any supplement, it is important to follow the instructions on the bottle exactly to avoid any unnecessary complications and risks.
Warning
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Many body builders feel that creatine is unnecessary for the teen user. This is mainly because most teens do not conduct the proper research necessary to take supplements of that nature. Teens should focus more on building their bodies naturally and caring for their systems by getting enough protein, water and proper amounts of exercise. Very few teens are the size of full grown adult body builders and few will be until they are older. There is also the unknown risk that creatine might have on the body when it ages. It is very important to take these things into consideration before taking any supplement like creatine. Talk to a doctor before taking creatine to see if he or she thinks it would be helpful.
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