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Creatine supplement
Hi,
First time post here...
I started taking creatine monohydrate supplement that is derived from synthetic sources and have started to see an improvement in strength during my weight training exercises and a visible increase in muscle mass.
I was initially against taking this supplement due to the fact its synthetic and other option for taking more creatine is limited due to the natural sources (i.e., red meat).
But after reading all the benefits and seeing it first hand I would have a hard time convincing myself to discontinue using it.
Just want to start an open discussion and hear from others on this subject.
Views: 46
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Robbert Wolters on -
I had the same question and came across you post. I'm no expert by the way; just someone find their way step by step. I found this link useful and could answer you question.....
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Permalink Reply by Kevin on -
cool thanks, I will check it out.
Robbert Wolters said:I had the same question and came across you post. I'm no expert by the way; just someone find their way step by step. I found this link useful and could answer you question.....
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Permalink Reply by Jay Crawford on -
Robert,
The link you provided was to a discusion about wether or not Creatine is vegan or not and a few people submitted brand names that call there product 'vegan'. Creatine is a skeletal muscle product; so by definintion it can't be vegan it doesn't exist in the plant kingdom. It can however be synthetically produced, but is a more costly procedure than deriving it from meat and organ tissues, which is relatively inexpensive. If one is a vegan and wants to avoid animal products they must research the manufacturer and decide wether or not they actually produce it syntheticaly or are just getting it from desicated animal products. One of the responses was that creatine is used to produce ATP, which is inacurate. Creatine supplementation is aimed at volumizing cells where a creatine molecule can hopefully pick up the phosphate that is dropped in ATPs reduction to ADP, then lending that phosphate back to ADPs return to ATP, which then means the creatine must be secreted. If creatine didn't have to be removed then there would be no need to continue supplementation.
This is where creatine has its drawbacks, it can be hard on the liver (as any large molecule is in osmosis) as it's ingested, absorbed and sent to the liver for processing. Creatine can also be very hard on the kidneys, anyone that is thinking about creatine supplementation should first have their kidneys tested for Creatine Kinase output. If your Creatine Kinase is high then: 1) your kidneys are already taxed and 2) your body is producing a large volume of creatine for itself. While there is no disputing creatine supplementation has shown strength improvements in athletes and even as a treatment for several muscular disorders, the only studies regarding its long term safety have so far only been conducted by companies that produce creatine supplements. There was once a published article in the American Journal of Sports Medicine (home) that suggested creatine may not be safe for long term use and that in young athletes, it may serve as the 'gateway drug' to steroid use. They found alarming numbers of young athletes that have used creatine for strength gains had turned to steroids when they found their 'plato'. I personally know of several people that have had kidney complications from the typical high protein/creatine supplementation regimen found in modern 'gym culture'. That is myself included! When I was trainning for strength competitions I ate alot of meat and whey protein (about 320g/ of protein per day) plus about 10g of creatine/daily. My doctor told me a couple of times that my kidneys would only handle this a little while before I start to cause interstitial nephritis. 12+ years after last taking creatine I still have fairly high creatine kinase levels, my doc says is due to large muscle mass. My physician tells me that when the demand for strength increases so does the bodies production of it's own creatine and at some point supplementation would be nonbeneficial and even detrimental.
It is important to do your homework...Visit the Journal of sports med link I posted and search 'creatine', there are plenty of articles about creatine supplementation.
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