Creatine FAQ
Muscular Force Generation And Creatine
Almost all of the body’s Creatine stores reside within skeletal muscles. These in turn assist in what is known as “force generation”. Eating sources of skeletal muscle (fish and meats) provides the human body with dietary Creatine, which our muscles then absorb from the blood stream.
Dietary supplementation with synthetic Creatine also increases muscle creatine stores, which helps to improve and enhance athletic performance. The advantage of supplementing with synthetic creatine is that greater levels of creatine can be ingested at a lower caloric value and without increasing saturated fat intake.
What About Vegatarians? Can They Benefit From Creatine?
Vegetarians can definitely benefit from creatine supplementation. Since vegetarians generally eat little or no meat, they typically possess lower than “average” creatine levels, allowing their body to absorb more synthetic creatine than someone with a meat heavy diet. There are numerous independant studies stating that vegetarians respond well to creatine supplementation.
Can Creatine Help The Mind?
Creatine is generally used to help fuel muscular movement. Having said that, creatine also plays a significant role in brain function, where it provides the energy for proper neuronal development, while also making neurons more resilient to trauma and disease. In humans dealing with conditions that lower creatine levels, there have been studies shown that neurodegenerative disorders are more common.
Does Creatine Really Work?
For the vast majority of people who take Creatine, yes, it works, and it work’s quite effectively. As with just about anything, there are some people who notice little or no difference when taking the substance, and this could be due to a number of issues. These people are referred to as the “non-responders.” Non-responders are people people who happen to have naturally high Creatine levels in their bodies in general, either because their body naturally produces an above average amount of creatine, or possibly because they eat a diet very high in red meat, a material that contains small amounts of creatine naturally.
Is Creatine Safe To Take?
People have been taking creatine supplements for over 3 decades, with creatine gaining prominance during the 1980′s. The result of over three years of research from numerous scientists are nearly identical in saying that Creatine is safe for a normal healthy adult. What this means is that unless you already have some sort of preexisting health problem (such as kidney disease), that creatine is perfectly safe, otherwise, discuss creatine with your doctor first.
Creatine is known to have very mild side effects in certain individuals. Specifically, the potential for upset stomachs and pants shitting. These issues are generally caused by improper use of the substance and can be avoided. The 2 most frequent causes of these side effects are lack of water, and taking too much creatine.
To avoid having an upset stomach and possibly soiling your pants, drink plenty of water (between half a gallon and 1 full gallon a day is good for most people) and don’t take obscene amounts of creatine.
How Much Creatine Should I Take?
This is one of the most important posts, and can be summed up simply. A normal healthy adult should take 5 grams of Creatine per day. That’s it, and definitely no more than that. There are plenty of creatine supplements that tell you creatine needs to be loaded and that you should take at least 20 grams per day for the first week, and 5-10 grams per day after that; This is simply not true, and is the numer one cause of stomach problems. Instead, take 5 grams per day for the first week, and the same 5 grams per day from that point on. Your body isn’t capable of using anymore creatine than that, and any extra you take will come out in your urine and feces, and give you a sore stomach.
When Should Creatine Be Taken?
Creatine only really needs to be taken on the days you workout; you should take it with your post workout meal (the meal directly after your workout). The ideal post workout meal is a shake consisting of whey protein, dextrose and lots water. You should add 5 grams of creatine to this shake as well. Just throw it all into a shaker bottle, shake it like a can of soup, add water after your workout, and shake it yet again. It mixes within seconds and is ready to drink and go down into your stomach and be absorbed by your body.
If you want to take Creatine on the days that you don’t work out, that’s fine as well, and won’t hurt you. Just remember, it’s not required, but you can do it if you want.