Creatine

 

Creatine is one supplement that we should all take, at least those of us who weight train.

For some reason, people are afraid of creatine. I have learned in my life that people tend to fear what they do not know. Let me educate you so you will no longer be afraid.

Were you aware that creatine is not banned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or the International Olympic Committee (IOC)?

I have taken some information here from the Mayo Clinic:

Creatine is naturally synthesized in the human body from amino acids primarily in the kidney and liver and transported in the blood for use by muscles. Approximately 95% of the body's total creatine content is located in skeletal muscle.

Creatine was discovered in the 1800s as an organic constituent of meat. In the 1970s, Soviet scientists reported that oral creatine supplements may improve athletic performance during brief, intense activities such as sprints. Creatine gained popularity in the 1990s as a "natural" way to enhance athletic performance and build lean body mass. It was reported that skeletal muscle total creatine content increases with oral creatine supplementation, although response is variable. Factors that may account for this variation are carbohydrate intake, physical activity, training status, and muscle fiber type. The finding that carbohydrates enhance muscle creatine uptake increased the market for creatine multi-ingredient sports drinks.

Published reports suggest that approximately 25% of professional baseball players and up to 50% of professional football players consume creatine supplements. According to a survey of high school athletes, creatine use is common among football players, wrestlers, hockey players, gymnasts, and lacrosse players. In 1998, the creatine market in the United States was estimated at $200 million. In 2000, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) banned colleges from distributing creatine to their players.

Creatinine excreted in urine is derived from creatine stored in muscle.

Enhanced muscle mass / strength

Several high-quality studies have shown an increase in muscle mass with the use of creatine. However, some weaker studies have reported mixed results. Overall, the available evidence suggests that creatine does increase lean body mass, strength, and total work. Future studies should take into account the effect of different individual fitness levels of study subjects.

You can go to the Mayo Clinic's site for a great deal more information.

I thought these two short videos were interesting, if you are going to take creatine, make sure you do it correctly so you are not wasting your money, and you can reap the full benefits.