What is Creatine?
Creatine is a compound made from amino acids, stored in muscles and the brain. It is vital for producing ATP, the body’s primary energy source. Creatine helps replenish your muscles’ energy during high-intensity activities like interval running or heavy weightlifting, enabling you to continue your workout.
It is also one of the most extensively studied nutritional supplements for enhancing athletic performance and has been available on the market for many years. We mainly obtain creatine from food and supplements, while the rest is produced by the liver and kidneys. Source
Benefits of Creatine
When you’re exercising, you want enough energy to complete your strength set or another lap around the track. Research shows that supplementing with creatine increases your phosphocreatine stores, which is the stored form of energy in cells. Phosphocreatine generates more ATP, and when you have more ATP, athletic performance improves.
The athletic benefits of taking creatine are:
Increased muscle strength and size. Source
Improved endurance
Increase in power and jump performance
Fatigue resistance
Increased sprinting ability
Sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss, is a concern for adults over 60. Roughly 10% to 27% of adults will develop sarcopenia and experience decreased physical ability. Source.
Creatine is beneficial for older adults when combined with supplementation and resistance training, as it slows the onset of sarcopenia.
Creatine supplementation can also help preserve muscle during calorie restriction, which is essential for increasing metabolism while also trying to lose weight.
In addition to the athletic benefits of creatine, new research has revealed several other benefits of creatine supplementation, including:
Improvements in cognitive function
Memory performance
Improve intelligence tasks
Increase the brain's energy supply. Source
Some recent studies have even shown creatine supplementation to be effective at treating depression, especially in women. Source
Potential Drawbacks of Creatine
Some evidence shows that creatine isn’t for everyone.
If you have kidney issues, creatine might not be suitable for you. Some studies have shown that excessive creatine intake can strain the kidneys, but only when exceeding the recommended amount.
A common complaint with creatine is bloating. Since creatine draws water into the muscles, some people may feel very bloated and even gain weight temporarily. This usually goes away after a few weeks of taking creatine and following the recommended dosage.
How Much Should You Take and When?
The best time to take creatine is near your workouts. Studies have shown that taking creatine as close to exercise as possible offers the greatest performance benefits.
Before your workout: take creatine up to 2 hours prior to starting your workout
After your workout: take creatine within an hour of finishing your workout
It’s also best to combine creatine with a meal as it will improve absorption.
Creatine monohydrate is the most studied and most used form of creatine on the market. The general recommendation is 3 to 5 grams per day. Source
The Bottom Line on Creatine
Creatine is one of the safest and most researched supplements available. It has been proven to enhance muscle growth, performance, endurance, and even brain function.
Creatine is also helpful for adults over 60 looking to combat age-related muscle loss.
Taking creatine around workouts will maximize the benefits. Never take more than the recommended dosage on the label, and start with 3 to 5 grams per day to see what creatine can do for you.
