Your body makes creatine on its own. Supplementing with the chemical may improve muscle mass and sports performance.
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A naturally occurring chemical, creatine is mostly deposited in muscles. Although creatine is most well-known for helping athletes gain more muscle and perform better during workouts, it may also benefit non-athletes’ overall health, well-being, and fitness.
In addition to being created by the body naturally, red meat and shellfish also naturally contain creatine. Higher concentration supplements are also available for purchase.
Advantages of Creatine
Most supplements for sports nutrition include creatine. However, creatine has other potential advantages beyond its impact on muscle development and sports performance.
Enhances Physical Performance
Supplementing with creatine helps athletes perform better during high-intensity training or heavy lifting by increasing the amount of energy available in their muscles. In addition to enhancing post-exercise recovery and injury prevention, creatine may also boost sports performance.
Creatine supplementation may enhance exercise performance for regular exercisers.
by 10% to 20% while lifting weights or engaging in other physical activities, such as
jogging, swimming, ice hockey, volleyball, and golf.
Builds Strength and Muscle Mass
For athletes, creatine reduces muscle protein breakdown and boosts energy levels in cells during anaerobic exercises like strength training, which results in larger muscles. Increased muscle mass can lead to better physical performance and longer endurance.
Sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss, may be decreased in older persons with the use of creatine. Aging-related decrease of muscle mass and strength can lead to serious restrictions on day-to-day activities and quality of life.
Despite conflicting findings, a review of 22 trials revealed that using creatine supplements together with weight exercise increased
Participants’ upper and lower body strength and muscular mass, aged 57–70.
Additionally, creatine has been proposed as a means of supporting post-injury physical rehabilitation as well as restoring muscular strength following prolonged immobility. Its efficacy in these respects needs to be further investigated.
May Aid with Type 2 Diabetes Management
Those with type 2 diabetes may be able to better control their blood sugar levels by taking a creatine supplement. According to some study, taking creatine supplements might enhance cells’ ability to absorb glucose and sensitivity to insulin, which may eventually improve blood sugar levels both after meals and over time.
According to preliminary study, individuals recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes appear to have reduced blood glucose levels after taking three to six grams of creatine daily for five days. In fact, when taken twice daily at 500mg, 3g of creatine showed an impact comparable to that of the diabetic drug metformin.
Any association has to be confirmed by more study. Additionally, longer durations of research would be required because the benefits of creatine on diabetes are only known to last for five days.
May Promote Brain Function
The impact of creatine on mental well-being has been inconsistent. In one research, for example, individuals 60 years of age or older in the United States who consumed 0.95 grams of creatine daily through food performed better on a cognitive function test that required them to match symbols and numbers. There was no discernible change in cognitive performance between the older persons who took creatine and the placebo group, according to other study.
In healthy people, creatine supplementation may enhance thinking, IQ, and short-term memory. However, no evidence of these impacts has been shown in young adults.
May Promote Heart Health
For those with decreased heart blood flow (myocardial ischemia), taking supplements of creatine may have a positive impact on their cardiac health.
According to one study, creatine increased the heart’s energy supply, reduced the incidence of arrhythmias, or abnormal heartbeats, and enhanced heart health in general. Larger investigations are required, according to the experts, to validate these findings.
Good Creatine Sources
About half of the daily required amount of creatine is produced by the human body. The second half you require may be obtained by eating fish and red meat.
Some demographics, such as vegetarians, would require creatine supplements in order to consume the recommended dosage.
How to Consume Supplemental Creatine
There are capsule and powder forms of creatine available as a supplement. Protein powders and supplements for sports nutrition usually contain it. It is recommended to take creatine with lots of water. It works best for improving athletic performance when taken immediately following an exercise.
Quantity
The standard protocol for starting creatine supplements is a loading dosage of up to 20 grams for seven days, followed by a maintenance dose of 2.25–10 grams per day for up to sixteen weeks. It is, however, always advisable to see a healthcare professional to determine the type and dosage that may be most appropriate for your individual needs.
A Brief Recap
The chemical creatine is produced by your body naturally. Usually, your body produces half of the necessary amount of creatine. Red meat and shellfish account for the remaining half. Additionally, creatine is available as supplements.
The main uses of creatine supplements are to boost muscular growth and enhance sports performance. Additionally, some research has indicated that creatine may benefit non-athletes’ general health, fitness, and wellbeing. To validate the advantages of creatine for heart and brain health, as well as illnesses like type 2 diabetes, more study is required.
While most individuals find using creatine to be safe, it’s essential to see a healthcare professional before beginning any supplement regimen, including creatine.
