What is Creatine?

Creatine is a natural compound made in the body and is derived from the diet through meat products. In the body, Creatine is changed into a molecule called phosphocreatine which serves as a storage reservoir for regenerating ATP. ATP is the chemical source of energy for muscle contraction and quick energy.

Supplementing the body with creatine increases the available fuel to power ATP, which can increase muscle strength, size and power output.

In today’s use, creatine is mostly used for improving exercise performance and increasing muscle mass in athletes and older adults. There is some science supporting the use of creatine in improving the athletic performance of young, healthy people during brief high-intensity activity such as sprinting.

Creatine is a nonessential dietary protein-like compound found in high abundance in meat and fish. It is synthesized in the body, primarily in the liver, from the three amino acids, arginine, glycine and methionine. Muscle tissue does not produce creatine, and therefore it must take up creatine from the bloodstream.

 How does it work?

When creatine is digested in the body or after it is produced by the body, it firsts binds with a phosphate molecule to form Creatine phosphate. Hence, when your body oxidizes carbs, protein, or fat it is doing this process in order to produce ATP. ATP is responsible for almost all the processes which occurs in the body. Thus, ATP is involved in creating ATP. Energy is needed to drive bodily process. ATP provides this energy by hydrolyzing a phosphate group.
When a phosphate group is hydrolyzed, energy in the form of heat is given off and this energy is used to drive whatever process is being performed, for example muscle contraction. Because one phosphate has been lost from the ATP it is now called ADP (adenine Di-phosphate). The reaction is as follows ATP (hydrolysis) = ADP + Energy. Now you have free ADP as a product from the ATP hydrolysis. ADP is pretty much useless in the body unless it is converted back into ATP. Now this is where creatine comes into play. The phosphate bound creatine donates its phosphate group to the ADP to re-form ATP!

Since the body is allowing to reform ADP to ATP creatine will increase the body’s ATP stores, thus it gives the body more energy to train harder and longer. Creatine is a combination of three different amino acids, glycine, arginine, and methionine, which are body’s supplement to produce and use energy.

In addition to that, creatine itself is a fuel source. The body’s first choice of energy when performing anaerobic activity is your creatine phosphate stores. Hence, by supplementing with creatine phosphate you will increase these stores, thus giving you more energy for your workouts. There is another anabolic property that creatine holds and this is its ability to hydrate muscle cells. When muscle cells are hydrated there are significant things that will take place: the increase in protein synthesis in the body and ions into the cell increases. When the cell is holding more water, it can also hold more ions since the ions will follow water into the cell in order to keep the concentration the same. When more ions are present in muscle cells (the most important being nitrogen) muscle protein synthesis also increases.

 What are the benefits of creatine?

Helps Muscle Cells Produce More Energy

Creatine supplements increase your muscles’ phosphocreatine stores.

Phosphocreatine helps with the formation of new ATP, the key molecule your cells use for energy and all basic functions of life.

During exercise, ATP is broken down to produce energy.

The rate of ATP re-synthesis limits your ability to continually perform at maximum intensity. You use ATP faster than you can build it up again.

Creatine supplements increase your phosphocreatine stores, allowing you to produce more ATP energy to fuel your muscles during high-intensity exercise.

Supports Many Other Functions in Muscles

Creatine is a popular and effective supplement for adding muscle mass.

It can alter numerous cellular pathways that lead to new muscle growth, including boosting the formation of proteins that create new muscle fibers.

It can also increase IGF-1 levels and stimulate the Akt/PKB pathway. These send a signal to your body to build muscle mass.

Creatine supplements can also increase the water content of your muscles. This is known as cell volumization, and can quickly increase the size of muscles.

Some research has also shown that supplementing decreases the level of myostatin, a molecule responsible for stunting muscle growth. Reducing myostatin can help you build muscle faster.

Improves high-intensity exercise performance

Creatine’s direct role in ATP energy production means it can drastically improve high-intensity exercise performance.

Studies have shown creatine can improve numerous factors to help you perform better, including:

• Strength
• Ballistic power
• Sprint ability
• Muscle endurance
• Resistance to fatigue
• Muscle mass
• Recovery
• Brain performance

Unlike supplements that only benefit advanced athletes, creatine provides benefits regardless of your fitness level.
A review found it improves high-intensity exercise performance by up to 15%.

Speeds Up Muscle Growth

Creatine is the world’s most effective supplement for adding muscle mass.

Taking it for as little as five to seven days has been shown to significantly increase lean body weight and muscle size.

This initial rise is caused by increased water content within the muscle.

Over the long term, it also aids in muscle fiber growth by signaling key biological pathways and increasing weights and performance in the gym.

In one study, participants followed a six-week training regimen. Those using creatine added 4.4 lbs (2 kg) more muscle mass, compared to those who did not.

A comprehensive review demonstrated a clear increase in muscle mass, compared to those performing the same training regimen without creatine.

May Help With Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by a reduction in brain levels of a key neurotransmitter called dopamine.

The large reduction in dopamine levels causes brain cell death and several serious symptoms, including tremors, loss of muscle function and speech impairments.

Creatine has been shown to have beneficial effects on Parkinson’s in mice, preventing 90% of the drop in dopamine levels.

In an attempt to treat the loss of muscle function and strength, Parkinson’s patients often perform weight training.

In humans with Parkinson’s disease, combining creatine with weight training improved strength and daily function to a greater extent than training alone.

May Fight Other Neurological Diseases

A key factor in several neurological diseases is a reduction in brain levels of phosphocreatine.

Since creatine can increase these levels, it may help reduce or slow disease progression.

In mice with Huntington’s disease, it restored the brain’s phosphocreatine stores to 72% of pre-disease levels, compared to only 26% for control mice.

This restoration of phosphocreatine levels helped maintain daily function and reduced cell death by around 25%

Research in animals suggests that taking creatine supplements may treat other diseases too, including:

• Alzheimer’s disease.
• Ischemic stroke.
• Epilepsy.
• Brain or spinal cord injuries.

Creatine has also shown benefits against ALS, a disease that affects the motor neurons essential for movement. It improved motor function, reduced muscle loss and extended the survival rate by 17%.

Although more studies are needed in humans, many researchers believe taking creatine supplements can have extremely beneficial effects against neurological diseases when used along with conventional medicine and drugs.

May lower blood sugar levels and fight diabetes

Research suggests that creatine supplements can help lower blood sugar levels.

This may occur by increasing the function of GLUT4, a transporter molecule that brings blood sugar into muscles.

A 12-week study examined how creatine affects blood sugar levels after a high-carb meal.

People who combined creatine and exercise were better at controlling blood sugar levels, compared to those who only exercised.

The short-term blood sugar response to a meal is an important marker for diabetes risk. The faster your body can clear sugar from the blood, the better.

These benefits are promising, but more human research is needed on the long-term effects on blood sugar control and diabetes.

Can Improve Brain Function

Creatine plays an important role in brain health and function.

Research has shown that the brain requires a significant amount of ATP energy when performing difficult tasks.

Supplements can increase phosphocreatine stores in the brain and help the brain produce more ATP. Creatine may also aid brain function by increasing dopamine levels and the function of mitochondria.

Meat is the best dietary source of creatine, and vegetarians often have low levels because they avoid meat. One study on creatine supplements in vegetarians found a 20-50% improvement in some memory and intelligence test scores.

For the elderly, two weeks of taking creatine supplements significantly improved memory and recall ability.

Along with other studies, this research suggests creatine is extremely beneficial for the elderly. It may help with brain function, reduce the age-related loss of muscle and strength, and protect against neurological diseases.

Despite the positive findings, more research is needed in young, healthy individuals who eat meat or fish on a regular basis.

May reduce fatigue or tiredness

Creatine supplements may also reduce fatigue and tiredness.

One of the most notable studies to date followed traumatic brain injury patients for six months. Those who supplemented had a 50% reduction in dizziness, compared to those who did not.

Furthermore, only 10% of patients in the supplement group suffered from fatigue, compared to 80% in the control group.

Another study found that creatine led to reduced fatigue and increased energy levels during sleep deprivation.

Creatine can also reduce exercising in high heat.

Is Safe and Easy to Use

Along with the diverse benefits outlined in this article, creatine is also one of the cheapest and safest supplements available.

It’s been researched for more than 200 years and numerous studies support its safety for long-term use. Clinical trials lasting up to five years report no adverse effects in healthy individuals.

What’s more, supplementing is very easy. Simply take 3–5 grams of creatine monohydrate powder per day.

At the end of the day, creatine is an effective supplement with powerful benefits for both sports performance and health.