The Five Supplements Anyone Should Consider Taking - Part 3 - Creatine
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes and does not serve as medical advice. Please consult your medical practitioner before committing to a supplement regime.
I still remember vividly the late 90s when I first started working out and had to ‘secretly’ take creatine, especially hiding it from my parents! Back then, even protein powder was carrying a bit of a ‘are you sure this is safe’ label, but for regular folks, creatine was definitely something that only a bodybuilder who risks his health for the physique would consider taking.
Many years have passed since and creatine has become my absolute favourite supplement that I’ve been taking regularly since, with occasional periods off it.
Creatine has become the most studied fitness supplement with consistent findings that it not only helps build muscle and supply energy for quick and explosive activities but it also helps improve cognition in the elderly and is safe for general use.
Let’s dive in to find out what this snow-white powder is and why you might consider taking it.
The basics
It was first discovered in 1832. The word comes from the Greek word kreas, which means meat, since Michel Eugene Chevreul, the scientist who discovered it, extracted it from meat.
Creatine is found naturally in your body. Around 95 per cent of creatine in the human body is stored in skeletal muscle, and 5 per cent is in the brain. We produce around 1g of it daily, but we also consume it by eating meat and fish.
Creatine as a supplement usually comes in the form of creatine monohydrate. There are others but this one is by far the most effective. It is produced synthetically in a lab, not extracted from animal tissues, so it is a vegan-friendly product.
Creatine helps with energy and recovery. Since it is hygroscopic (attracts water) it helps with nutrient absorption and by increasing intracellular water it increases muscular volume. By increasing nitrogen retention from the meat you eat, it helps repair damaged muscle fibres and build lean muscle tissue.
When consuming creatine, muscle performance is shown to increase by 10-20%! It is mainly known to help with anaerobic activity - the one that is short-lasting and very intense, but it also helps with endurance sports. In any case, it helps more efficiently regenerate ATP, the energy currency of your body.
For science geeks
ATP consists of three main structures: the nitrogenous base (adenine), the sugar (ribose) and a chain of three phosphate groups bound to ribose. It is the bond between the phosphates that stores the energy and it is released when they are broken, which occurs through the addition of a water molecule. When phosphate is removed, what remains is ADP (adenosine diphosphate - meaning it has two phosphates)
ATP is constantly being re-synthesized from ADP and phosphate through the processes of cellular respiration. Creatine brings the missing phosphate so it can be attached back on. If you add more creatine it helps recover quicker and gain more energy.
The body makes creatine from the amino acids glycine, arginine and methionine. Amino acids have an acid group and an amine group. The latter contains nitrogen which makes things grow. Nitrogen can be easily measured in urine and is a biomarker that shows how much protein is retained in the body.
Stay hydrated
Your body does require a little bit more water when you are taking creatine due to its hygroscopic properties, so being properly hydrated is very important. But then again, proper hydration applies to anyone, not just to creatine users. Being chronically dehydrated might cause severe kidney damage.
You don’t want to drink too much either, as when you expel it, you might flush out too many minerals with it. Spread out your drinking across the day, and especially properly rehydrate in the morning and after sweating. You should pee roughly every two hours and the urine should be light orange.
Dehydration of only 2% has a massive impact on your strength and performance. Read more on proper hydration in our article here.
Avoid prolonged exposure of creatine to water
When creatine is exposed to water it soon starts to break down into creatinine. Creatinine is a waste product made by your muscles as part of regular, everyday activity and is regularly expelled by the kidneys through urine. If accumulated it can be very toxic.
The study showed that leaving a creatine mix overnight made it break down into creatinine by 50 per cent. They stopped the study after that because it was already way too much.
So when you mix it, you have to drink it soon, within half an hour or so. DO NOT pre-mix your creatine drink the night before! Likewise, make sure it is stored in a dry space without contact with moisture like scooping it with a wet spoon for example.
You can, however, correctly take up to 30g of creatine a day (that’s the highest amount tested) and it won’t affect your kidneys since the body is in control and is expelling it at the right pace.
Avoid purchasing low-quality creatine because it just might already come ‘polluted’ with creatinine.
How to take creatine
The rule used to be that you have to ‘load’ creatine 4 times 5g a day for the first 5-7 days, then you would transition into a ‘regular use’ of 5g a day. A 2021 study compared 3g a day use versus 20g a day and with both study groups the levels of creatine in the muscle went up 20 per cent.
It is now suggested you start with your daily dose straight away which is 3-5g a day. If you have more it is not going to do any damage, but it is just a waste of money since it might increase the levels just marginally, if at all.
Creatine is not time-specific for muscle building, in other words, it doesn’t matter whether you take it before or after exercise, although it seems to work a bit better if it’s around the time of exercise rather than away from it. For strength, however, a study showed it might have a slight benefit if taken 1-2 hours before exercise. In any case, aim to take it daily at approximately the same time.
Caffeine, although it is a diuretic, has no effect on creatine uptake even if you take them together. This is because diuresis (the excessive production of urine) occurs in the bloodstream while creatine is stored in the skeletal muscle cells.
For a long time, it has been suggested you take some form of simple sugar like dextrose with creatine. The sugar would raise insulin and thus help creatine enter the muscle cells. In theory, this is true, but creatine is a very small molecule and is easily absorbed into the muscle so there is no need to unnecessarily spike insulin.
There is no need to take a break from creatine supplementation, although I still do it once or twice a year for two weeks or so. I just feel it helps shock the body a bit although it is not something the body will get used to and stop producing its own creatine.
How to purchase
When purchasing, look for creatine monohydrate in a micronised form (it means it is processed into tiny particles for better, faster absorption). Avoid other forms of creatine as they are not as efficient and might have associated risks of creatinine.
To avoid the risk of running into bad creatine look for the Creapure label. It is a German-patented process and a gold standard for the quality of creatine. Many other labels have been tested for purity and turned out just as fine, but you never know.
Safe for use
If taken correctly, creatine can’t damage your kidneys and has no impact whatsoever on your hormones. It has been proven safe to use for anyone, men, women, and kids. It can be even taken during pregnancy.
The only reason it says ‘not appropriate under 15 years of age’ on the package is that it is a legal requirement for all supplements. And kids can be silly and not understand it is a supplement, they can expose it to water for too long, or not drink enough water, etc.
Good for the brain
One of the benefits of creatine is the improvement in cognitive function, especially in the elderly. Creatine increases the ATP levels in the brain by up to 15 per cent and it can help with migraines too. So, if you are suffering from chronic migraines, creatine might be just the supplement to try. Many migraine suppressant drugs are very nephrotoxic, which means that after a week of use, they might damage your kidneys.
Other health benefits
Recent studies have found that creatine might help with diabetes management, heart disease, blocked arteries, and muscular dystrophy. It has some anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, is good for reproductive health, and is excellent for chronic fatigue syndrome.
Conclusion
Creatine might not be what you expect to see on a list of top five supplements for anyone. Yet, it is a fantastic product that will give you a good bank for your buck and it is found to be safe for general use.
It has many health benefits and provides strength, performance and cognitive improvements. I consider it my favourite supplement and I’m very glad to see it is gaining popularity even among non-athletes and the elderly.
Vegetarians and vegans should especially consider creatine supplementation since omnivores might already get quite a bit of creatine with meat consumption.
As always, if you are drastically changing anything about your diet and lifestyle, and especially if you have any concerns, check with your health practitioner first.
Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHgEplMuFLw
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/263269#sources_and_needs