subject: Creatine Supplements Can Turbo Charge Muscle Growth [print this page] Creatine was first identified by researchers in 1932 but its muscle building powers weren't realized until almost one hundred years later. The first know case of using creatine as a muscle performance enhancing supplement was in Barcelona in 1992 during the summer Olympic games.
Creatine is an amino acid which is produced in the body by the liver and kidneys, and is derived from the diet through meat and animal products. Creatine (creatine monohydrate) is a colorless, crystalline substance used in muscle tissue for the production of phosphocreatine, an important factor in the formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the source of energy for muscle contraction and many other functions in the body.
In the body, creatine is changed into a molecule called "phosphocreatine" which serves as a storage reservoir for quick energy. Phosphocreatine is especially important in tissues such as the voluntary muscles and the nervous system which periodically require large amounts of energy.
When the body has more creatine, it can create more phosphocreatine and can therefore have more energy available for activities like sprinting or lifting weights when quick bursts are needed. It is not so much of a help in endurance contests where quick bursts of energy are not needed but it can increase the size of the muscles mostly due to water retention.
Two scientific studies have indicated that creatine may be beneficial for neuromuscular disorders. First, a study by MDA-funded researcher M. Flint Beal of Cornell University Medical Center demonstrated that creatine was twice as effective as the prescription drug riluzole in extending the lives of mice with the degenerative neural disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease). Second, a study by Canadian researchers Mark Tarnopolsky and Joan Martin of McMaster University Medical Center in Ontario found that creatine can cause modest increases in strength in people with a variety of neuromuscular disorders. Beal's work was published in the March 1999 issue of Nature Neuroscience and the second paper was published in the March 1999 issue of Neurology.
There are few reported side effects of taking creatine supplements. The most common adverse effect is dehydration reported by athletes taking regular doses of creatine each day.
Long term studies of taking creatine show that diarrhea was the most common adverse effect with muscle cramping reported in a small number of athletes. Serious damage to kidneys, liver or circulatory systems was not reported. Taking creatine as a muscle performance enhancing supplement has been proven safe and effective.
