Creatine: Performance choice

Athletes might turn to performance-enhancing supplements to help them jump higher, run faster or farther, all to have the edge on their competition. Creatine is a popular choice. This supplement has been shown to increase both strength and muscle mass. Creatine is also a lot more accessible than other options because it is found in powder form, drink mixes, tablets, and even energy bars. It can be found even at the supermarket, health stores, and on the internet.

Creatine is a natural substance, but its effects have not been studied for long term use.

In fact, research hasn’t been done to know exactly what this product does to the body. We do know that creatine turns into creatine phosphate in the body. Creatine phosphate then helps make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which provides energy to the muscles during contraction. It is important to note that the body can naturally receive creatine from meat and fish sources.

This supplement was first used and tested in the 1970s when researchers found its performance-enhancing effects. It became very popular in the 1990s for athletes to take and use to the point that even high school, college, and professional athletes were using it.

Athletes were finding that in using creatine they were increasing lean muscle mass, increasing strength, and recovering quicker from workouts. Athletes were finding boosts in their speed and energy. Creatine has been found to enhance performance for a short period of time. However, some people who use it have found no benefit as it responds differently in everyone’s body.

Research is being undertaken to find out if creatine can also be used for other medical purposes. Some of these may include treatments for heart attacks, Huntington’s disease, and other muscular disorders such as ALS and muscular dystrophy. Creatine is also being studied to see if it helps lower cholesterol.

Some possible side effects include nausea, muscle cramps, weight gain, or diarrhea. At this point in time creatine is allowed by the International Olympic Committee, NCAA, and professional sports.

Creatine is just a small portion of the $2.7 billion in annual sales of the nutrition supplement market. Vegetarians might benefit from creatine supplementation because they have lower levels in their body naturally due to their specific diet. However, the body will only hold a certain amount of creatine so taking it an excess won’t produce greater results. Asking the body to do more than what it is supposed to can, of course, have poor health effects.

Ultimately, training and eating are the foundation to better performance and the rest is a personal decision an athlete can only make for themselves.

Resources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3407788/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-creatine/art-20347591
https://academic.oup.com/ckj/article/4/1/23/376016
https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/Pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2013&issue=07000&article=00010&type=Fulltext
https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-4-6