Creatine’s history is quite long and impressive compared to other supplements. British Olympians Linford Christie, Sally Gunnell, and Sally Gunnell first took up creatine monohydrate as a supplemental form. It’s been around since then, with it being the most researched and widely used ergogenic supplement after caffeine.
Creatine is made from two amino acids, arginine (glycine) and glycine (arginine). The average omnivore eats around one gram of creatine per day. Your body produces about one gram every day. It has nothing to do steroids. The cell’s function is to store phosphate, the cell’s energy currency. This ‘creatine phosphate is used to replenish the cellular energy molecule ATP that has been depleted as the cell uses energy.
It’s a popular choice among bench and biceps people because ATP is readily available. This provides energy for high-intensity activities like lifting weights or, more pertinently, running for all-out runs.
Reward
Creatine supplementation can be a great tool for speed work and interval training. The effectiveness of creatine supplementation was shown to increase performance by 7.5% in a meta-analysis. This means that you can get more training benefits for running.
Okay, it might be useful over 100m or 400m but outside of a little help with speed work, why not consider creatine?
A 2003 study showed that creatine supplementation could lead to a 5% rise in lactate threshold. This means you can run faster and for longer periods of time without feeling slowed down. The combination of creatine and carbs can raise glycogen levels in muscle cells. A recent study published in the Journal International Society of Sports Nutrition showed that creatine supplementation could be used to increase the amount of glycogen in the muscles.
All this is great, but it’s important to look at the larger picture to see the true potential of creatine. One hour of running is only 4% of your daily activity. Rest 96% of your day is dedicated to recovery and health. Creatine can be an effective tool in this area.
Creatine does more than just serve as an energy carrier. It also plays a number of other functions within the cell. Since the 1970s, it has been known that creatine supplementation can act as a switch. This means that supplements can increase muscle protein synthesis and speed up the recovery of injured muscle tissue. It also draws water into the muscles cells, increasing the hydration crucial for all cell functions. A more recent discovery is that creatine may also be an antioxidant, neutralizing the damage-causing free radicals generated when we train. Studies have shown that creatine supplementation reduces muscle cell damage after training.
According to research published in Diabetes, creatine can even be used when you are injured. It increases the recovery of energy in muscle tissues, and the glucose transporters that move carbs into muscle cells.
Creatine is no longer viewed as a supplement for athletes. Creatine is now seen as a nutritional supplement and even as a tool to fight fat gain.
Recent research published in the journal cell has shown that creatine can increase the “thermic effect” of feeding. This means that it increases the intake of calories that occurs after eating. These small, but important changes can lead to real world benefits over the long-term. Numerous studies, dating back decades, have shown that supplementation is associated a decrease in body fat.
Its ability to increase glucose transport in cells has attracted the attention of the medical profession. Recent research has shown that supplementation can improve blood sugar control, a sign of diabetes risk, after eating a carb-heavy meal.
Mental Performance
Although the statement “The brain is the strongest of all the muscles in the body” is not true to anatomical truth, it is one of the most hungry. The nervous system is a large consumer of energy. The more you think, the more energy it consumes. ATP is the energy supply for the nervous system. Research on creatine’s abilities to boost and protect brain function has been a major focus of recent research. Research from the University of Sydney has shown that supplementation can increase memory and intelligence by as much as 30% depending on how you measure it. Creatine also protects against brain injury, and prevents age-related cognitive decline.
Is Creatine Safe to Consume?
This is all great news. But stories of kidney damage, muscle cramps, and stomach upsets continue to plague creatine. So is it safe? Creatine is the most studied ergogenic supplement. There is a lot of evidence, both short-term and long-term, that shows that creatine has been proven safe. Pre-existing conditions like kidney disease should be checked with their doctor before taking creatine.
This blog was created by David Castle, a UK running expert. You can also follow the Running Hub on Instagram.
Tag: FITNESS and HEALTH AND WELLNESS
