Creatine Benefits

Bri Repetto

What is Creatine? 

Creatine is an amino acid used for higher energy production and greater muscle mass. It works by taking used energy, known as ADP, and binding it with phosphate molecules to create ATP, which is energy for your cells. This then decreases muscle fatigue in your body because creatine is helping to provide more energy for your muscles to consume, thus allowing for higher levels of activity. 

Creatine is also something that anyone can add into their diet. Regardless of fitness experience or amount of activity, this is a supplement that can be used by all looking to try it. 

Why Should You Take Creatine?

Taking creatine is a personal preference. Many like it because of the fact that it can increase energy levels, acting like a pre-workout to help fuel your routine. This increase in energy can help you strive to hit new goals through the use of doing more sets and reps or help to increase speed and distance with running. This has a positive effect being that the more you can perform than the more you push your muscles, helping to increase in muscle mass and strength. 

Furthermore, creatine reduces the frequency of dehydration in your body because it helps your natural water regulation system. This in turn allows cells throughout the body to be better hydrated and thus, there is a reduction of cramping and fatigue. The increase of water into your muscles also enlarges the size of your them. Although this does not necessarily mean you are gaining strength through this effect, it can lead to a higher level of fitness. 

This increase in muscle size also acts as a signal for your body that it needs to increase in protein synthesis and facilitate the creation of more muscle and growth factor hormones. These both aid in the production of muscle mass which is one of the intended purposes of the supplement. In addition, creatine has been shown in studies to reduce a molecule known as myostatin. Myostatin is used in the body to inhibit muscle growth. The simple reality being, less myostatin, more muscle production.

Creatine and Your Brain

People sometimes forget that your brain requires a lot of energy. With creatine being able to help supply such, the brain takes full advantage of it. By utilizing this energy, there are a lot of positive effects that can be shown that many might not even realize. 

For starters, the extra energy allows for your brain to perform better with cognitive tasks. A study was done where they tested young adults through trials with placebos and creatine. They discovered that those who had taken the creatine had increased working memory and intelligence. This helps to prove the information about creatine improving IQ and brain function. 

Research on mice and animal subjects also showed how creatine can be used to fight neurological diseases. Due to the fact that creatine elevates phosphocreatine in your brain it can combat disease progression as these diseases would lower such molecules in your body. 

Although this hasn’t been fully proven yet, there is research being done on how creatine can affect Parkinson’s disease. Many believe that creatine can have a positive effect of reducing the disease but there are little human studies done to prove this. In mice however it was found that it helped reduce about 90% of the drop of dopamine levels in the brain usually seen with Parkison’s. This means that the dopamine levels remain largely intact and there was little cell death to equate to a larger effect from the disease. 

Is Creatine Safe?

Creatine is safe as long as it is taken as directed which is 5 g of creatine per day. Going over this limit can result in diarrhea, stomach pain, and more. The Mayo Clinic also reported the information that creatine taking correctly does not affect kidney function in healthy people, but it can worsen kidney disease in those who have it. Given this information, it is important to be cautious of creatine if you do have a history of kidney diseases and you should consult a doctor prior to consuming it. 

Creatine is a supplement that can be taken for up to five years. If you were to take the supplement further than the allotted time then health issues like heart and liver problems can occur. After five years there is not much research on how it affects your body through long term use, so taking it the recommended five years is the safest way to get the benefits of creatine.

In terms of a lot of supplements on the market, creatine is one of the safest that you could choose. This is because it is found naturally in the body and you are taking something not mixed with artificial ingredients. In addition, there are many studies around creatine that prove its safety and benefits. 

To get the full benefits of creatine do not mix it with high levels of caffeine due the fact that caffeine reduces the effectiveness of creatine. It would serve as a negative purpose to ingest both but receive limited benefits of either. 

Taking creatine can be really effective in your workouts regardless of activity level or strength. If you are looking to help your physicality and performance, then this is a great and safe supplement to choose. Increasing your energy, elevating your routine, and getting health benefits are just some of the great qualities of creatine.