Creatine is an amino acid derivative stored in your muscles and used to create energy for movement.
Every cell in the body relies on Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) as a source of energy that through muscle contraction, uses ATP and releases Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP).
Stores of Creatine in your muscles help to quickly turn ADP back to ATP for additional energy.
Key Points
- Athletes showed increases in overall strength and improved ability to regenerate muscle power
- Creatine helped prevent injury and aid in recovery
- Creatine boosted daily function for aging populations
- Loading with supplemental Creatine increased intramuscular stores
Enhanced Strength and Muscle Power Regeneration in Athletes
A six week study of CS in cyclists produced a 4% increase in their ability to generate power during repeated sprints.
“A CE supplement improves overall and repeated short duration sprint cycling performance when sprints are interspersed with adequate recovery periods.”
Soccer players given Creatine 0.3g/kg daily for 14 days saw a vast improvement in the power generation and velocity of execution between training exercises.
“Evidence shows that Cr ingestion benefits soccer players’ physical performance, especially anaerobic power”
Another study found improvement in the ability for female swimmers to propel themselves in water.
“These data suggest that 21 days of CS [creatine supplementation] produced significant effects on gross and/or propelling efficiency during swimming in female athletes.”
Helped Prevent Injury and Ease Recovery
Experienced runners given 5g Creatine, 4x daily in the 5 days leading up to a 30km race, showed reduced levels of cell damage and inflammation compared to the control group.
“The athletes did not present any side effects such as cramping, dehydration or diarrhea, neither during the period of supplementation, nor during the 30km race.”
A study of college football players found a significant decrease in risk of injuries during and after training sessions and games when taking 0.3g/kg/day over the course of four months.
“Creatine users had significantly less cramping, heat illness or dehydration, muscle tightness, muscle strains, and total injuries, than nonusers.”
Creatine Enhanced Daily Function for Aging Populations
Researchers addressing independence and health risks from falls in aging populations found an increase in strength gain in women over the age of 58 supplementing with Creatine for 7 days.
“Short-term Creatine supplementation resulted in an increase in strength, power, and lower-body motor functional performance in older women without any adverse side effects”
Similarly, older men given 20g for 10 days or 4g for 20 days saw improvement in addressing muscle exhaustion from movement.
“These data suggest that 30 days of Cr-supplementation may have a beneficial effect on reducing muscle fatigue in men over the age of 60 years…”
Loading with Supplemental Creatine Increases Intramuscular Stores
Intramuscular stores of Creatine can be increased slightly through consumption of Creatine rich foods, like red meat, poultry, and fish (most meats contain about 0.7 g/6 oz serving). However, increased concentration stores are best maintained with supplementation.
- A 20% increase in Creatine muscle concentration was found in males supplementing with 20g/day Creatine for 6 days
- This increased concentration was able to be maintained at a rate of 2g/day thereafter
- A similar but gradual 20% increase in Creatine concentration was found after 28 days of supplementing 3g/day of Creatine day
“In conclusion, a rapid way to “creatine load” human skeletal muscle is to ingest 20g of creatine for 6 days. This elevated tissue concentration can be maintained by ingestion of 2g/day thereafter. The ingestion of 3g creatine/day is in the long term likely to be as effective at raising tissue levels as this higher dose.”