Your Top 10 Questions About Creatine Supplements, Answered by Science

Regardless of being one of the crucial common dietary supplements on the earth, many individuals know little about creatine.

For instance, most have heard that creatine boosts efficiency, enhances muscle development, and accelerates restoration. Nonetheless, few know the way it works, the way it’s made, which type is finest, and so forth.

You’ll additionally typically hear that creatine is linked to varied damaging unintended effects, like kidney harm, hair loss, and extra.

On this article, you’ll study science-based solutions to the highest 10 questions I get about creatine and its results. 

1. How Does Creatine Work?

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is essentially the most fundamental unit of cellular energy. When cells use ATP, they cut up it into smaller molecules, and once they’re completed, they “reassemble” the fragments again into ATP for reuse.

The extra ATP your cells can store and the quicker your physique can regenerate ATP, the extra “work” it could actually do. 

Creatine donates a molecule to an ATP precursor referred to as adenosine diphosphate (ADP), which expedites ATP manufacturing, enabling your physique to replenish its ATP retailer extra quickly. 

That’s why supplementing with creatine boosts muscle development, increases power and energy, improves anaerobic capability, reduces fatigue, lessens muscle harm and soreness after train, alters the expression of genes associated to hypertrophy, and preserves muscle after grueling exercises.

2. How Is Creatine Made?

Your physique produces creatine within the kidneys and liver by combining the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine to create creatine phosphate and phosphocreatine, which it then shops in your muscular tissues.

Complement producers produce creatine exogenously (outdoors the physique) by combining, heating, and pressurizing sodium sarcosine and cyanamide (to not be confused with cyanide).

They then cool the ensuing product, turning it into creatine crystals, which they purify utilizing a centrifuge, vacuum dry, and mill right into a high quality powder, prepared to be used.

3. Which Creatine Is Greatest?

Creatine monohydrate is essentially the most well-studied and scientifically supported sports activities complement obtainable at this time. Research repeatedly reveals that creatine monohydrate is secure to make use of and reliably boosts your athletic efficiency as a lot or greater than different types of creatine. 

It’s additionally 3-to-5 occasions more affordable than different types of creatine, making it essentially the most value efficient.

Thus, creatine monohydrate is the gold commonplace of creatine, and nothing’s more likely to dethrone it anytime quickly. That’s why I selected it for my 100% pure post-workout complement, Recharge.

(For those who aren’t certain if Recharge is best for you or if one other complement would possibly higher suit your finances, circumstances, and objectives, then take the Legion Supplement Finder Quiz! In lower than a minute, it’ll inform you precisely what dietary supplements are best for you. Click here to check it out.)

4. Can Creatine Expire?

That stated, creatine monohydrate is exceptionally shelf stable and doesn’t degrade for a number of years, offered you retain it in cool, dry circumstances. 

5. Why Is Creatine Unhealthy for You?

Some folks consider creatine is bad for your kidneys, however it is a misunderstanding. 

If in case you have wholesome kidneys, creatine doesn’t harm your kidneys.

Even in case you have impaired kidney perform, you’re unlikely to expertise any issues. That stated, seek the advice of your physician earlier than taking creatine in case you have any questions or considerations about the way it would possibly have an effect on your kidney well being.

One of many causes folks consider creatine stresses the kidneys pertains to a substance generally known as creatinine, which your physique produces when it metabolizes creatine.

In sedentary folks not supplementing with creatine, elevated creatinine ranges can point out kidney issues. It’s best to expect excessive creatinine ranges in case you train often and complement with creatine, although, and it’s not dangerous on this case.

You will have additionally heard that taking creatine can result in hair loss. 

One study carried out by scientists at Stellenbosch College discovered that creatine raised ranges of dihydrotestosterone or DHT, a hormone that hastens hair loss in vulnerable males.

Particularly, they discovered that the conventional protocol of taking 20 grams of creatine per day for every week adopted by 5 grams a day for two weeks elevated DHT ranges in male rugby gamers by about 40-to-60%.

That stated, the examine had a number of limitations (one being they didn’t really measure hair loss, only a hormone typically related to it), and the outcomes haven’t been replicated since. Thus, there’s little or no proof that creatine contributes to hair loss.

6. Are Creatine Capsules Good?

7. Ought to You Take Creatine for Weight Loss?

Taking creatine most likely won’t boost fats loss to a significant diploma.

Nonetheless, supplementing with creatine whereas in a calorie deficit is wise as a result of it helps you retain your muscle and power, which is important for enhancing your body composition. 

8. What’s the Greatest Creatine for Ladies?

Bloating typically solely happens in case you take a big dose of creatine unexpectedly, which isn’t needed to maximise its advantages and doesn’t happen in everybody, and getting bulky never was. 

(In order for you extra recommendations on one of the best ways to coach, weight-reduction plan, and complement for females, try my health e-book for girls, Thinner Leaner Stronger.)

9. What’s the Greatest Creatine for Teenagers?

Up to now, scientists have prompt—with out scientific proof or rationale—that teenagers who take creatine exhibit “unhealthy” or “disturbing” conduct much like those that take anabolic steroids.

As a consequence, many well being and health consultants have been reluctant to suggest creatine supplementation to anybody beneath the age of 18.

Nonetheless, most research on teenagers shows that creatine is well-tolerated and efficient at boosting athletic efficiency. In different phrases, creatine appears to have comparable results in youngsters as in younger, middle-aged, and older adults (which is smart, because it’s principally simply refined amino acids). 

Thus, the right dose of creatine for teenagers is similar as for adults: 3-to-5 grams of creatine monohydrate day by day. 

10. What’s the Greatest Creatine for Runners?

Most research means that creatine isn’t notably efficient at enhancing endurance efficiency. 

This isn’t stunning on condition that your physique makes use of a mixture of glucose, glycogen, and physique fats—not phosphocreatine—to gas long-duration train.

As such, creatine isn’t as priceless to long-distance runners as to athletes who carry out temporary, intense bursts of effort (sprinters or powerlifters, for instance).

That’s to not say creatine is ineffective for runners—it reduces soreness, muscle harm, and irritation, protects in opposition to exercise-induced muscle breakdown, boosts restoration, and may enhance warmth tolerance, which is useful in case you race in sizzling, humid circumstances. 

And if you wish to profit from these advantages, take 3-to-5 grams of creatine monohydrate day by day.