Creatine is one of the most beloved supplements among those who lift weights, available without prescription in powder, capsule, and liquid forms at nutrition stores and some drug stores.
At recommended doses, creatine should be safe for most people; however, it may cause mild gastrointestinal discomfort such as stomach cramps. Individuals with existing liver or kidney conditions should avoid creatine supplements.
Increased Lean Muscle Mass
Studies on creatine have demonstrated its benefits, specifically among newcomers to weight training. Creatine can increase muscle mass, while helping users extend the number of reps during resistance training and lift heavier loads, and may boost protein production while decreasing muscle breakdown (7).
One study concluded that supplementing with creatine for one year improved strength among individuals living with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus. Another revealed how creatine increased muscular strength for those suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy; its effect was magnified if taken before resistance training (8).
Creatine may help improve muscle function in older individuals with Parkinson’s disease (9) and reduce skeletal decline in heart failure (10). A recent clinical trial conducted on multiple sclerosis patients also demonstrated how creatine helps their condition to improve (11).
Strength
Creatine has been shown to strengthen strength in numerous ways. One such study published by Neurorehabil Neural Repair concluded that resistance training with creatine enhanced muscle growth, increasing upper body strength compared to a control group. Furthermore, this strength increase may help prevent and treat injuries due to intense exercise such as muscle pulls or tears.
Creatine supplements increase the amount of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) your muscles produce, providing a fuel source during exercise and aiding their recovery post workout. Your body naturally creates creatine through liver, pancreas, kidney production as well as from red meat or animal milk consumption.
Creatine supplements are typically taken by athletes engaged in high-intensity sports or activities such as bodybuilding, football, baseball or track and field events. However, studies have demonstrated that creatine can benefit athletes of all ages and skill levels; even slowing the development of sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass due to age).
Endurance
Creatine seems to help extend endurance sports events by increasing muscle cell phosphocreatine stores and lengthening time-to-exhaustion during events with short bursts of high intensity exercise, making your time-to-exhaustion longer by increasing glycogen stores.
Phosphocreatine molecules serve as energy carriers in cells and help produce ATP, the body’s primary source of energy. By increasing production of ATP during high intensity exercises and training, athletes can create more energy that leads to increased performance and strength gains.
Studies have also demonstrated the benefits of creatine for increasing muscle glycogen stores, which is beneficial to athletes seeking to increase power output and critical power thresholds, particularly during short-duration exercise and protocols that mimic real race scenarios like sprint finishes or high intensity climbing intervals.
One drawback of creatine use may lead to weight gain; however, this weight gain appears mainly to come from water retention rather than fat accumulation. Long-term creatine usage appears to cause no serious adverse side effects in healthy individuals.
Energy
Creatine provides energy during heavy lifting and intense physical exercise by increasing muscle phosphocreatine stores, which in turn produce Adenosine Triphosphate, or ATP, an energy source used by cells for work. This energy boost can allow you to lift or exercise for longer periods of time or do additional reps/sets during your workout – speeding up muscle building processes faster.
Studies show creatine supplements improve strength and power for both experienced athletes as well as beginners to exercise, though creatine seems less suitable for endurance activities that rely on slow energy release.
People taking anti-coagulants or ACE inhibitors should avoid taking creatine. Furthermore, taking caffeine with creatine could increase your heart rate and blood pressure significantly; taking creatine alongside drugs that alter triglyceride levels such as cholesterol-reducing statins may increase kidney damage risk further still.