For several decades, a drug called creatine has been actively and successfully promoted on the market for nutritional supplements for athletes. This supplement is positioned as increasing the body’s ability to produce energy during heavy loads: athletes taking creatine can withstand such loads for much longer.

How does creatine work?
Creatine inhibits the formation of lactic acid in tissues: it is known that lactic acid is one of the main causes of muscle fatigue during exercise.

Long intense workouts give the expected results: the muscles begin to grow intensively. The “mechanism” of muscle growth is explained as follows: the volume of cells increases: they are saturated with water, since creatine “collects” moisture throughout the body in order to fill muscle tissue cells with it. Muscles harden and also become larger. This process is fundamentally different from water retention, which causes edema: with edema, water does not accumulate in the muscle fibers, but outside the muscles. Due to the swollen cells that have increased their endurance, the muscles work better and longer.

The synthesis of important proteins is also increased under the action of creatine, and the muscles are strengthened: hence the growth of muscle mass.

It is also explained that creatine helps to remove free radicals and strengthens cell membranes, ensures sufficient calcium intake in muscle tissue: this also improves training results.

What is creatine for?

Creatine is widely distributed in nature: it is an organic nitrogen-containing compound produced in the body of vertebrates (according to recent data, and some invertebrates), and taking part in energy metabolism.

Scientists discovered creatine back in the first half of the 19th century, and at the beginning of the 20th century it was noticed that it stimulates metabolic processes in muscle tissue. But creatine supplements appeared much later, in the 90s: the athletes who used them at the Olympics showed good results, and just a few months later, creatine appeared on the free market. In the human body, creatine is produced in a small amount (more by the liver, less by the pancreas and kidneys) – about 2 g per day, and this is quite enough for a normal lifestyle. In muscle cells, it turns into phosphocreatine, a substance necessary for the production of adenosine triphosphate (or ATP, adenosine triphosphoric acid), without which all biochemical processes occurring in living organisms are inconceivable.

Substances that promote the production of creatine enter the human body with food, and mainly with “animal” proteins: meat and fish, although they are also found in some berries. Athletes who train actively and regularly, the usual amount of creatine is not enough. It will not be possible to increase its production by increasing protein intake. It would be necessary to eat “animal” products at 5-6 kg per day: this is unrealistic, and the body is not able to process so much in order to synthesize more pure creatine to fill the muscles.

Sports supplements are another matter. By taking a pill, capsule or powder of creatine, you can quickly increase strength, and with regular training, build muscle by several kilograms of quality mass, elastic and firm.

Creatine powder is especially popular among athletes. It is sold with different flavors: flavor additives are introduced into the product – for example, fruit. By itself, creatine has no taste and smell: in this respect, the powder is almost neutral.

Is creatine good for health?
When trying to understand the beneficial and harmful properties of creatine, clear information is difficult to find. In one place it is said that the beneficial properties are well studied; in the other, that there are some side effects, more often caused by individual intolerance or overdose.

However, there are other options: “features of creatine that are not related to external factors”, as well as its incorrect combination with a number of other substances, can bring harm – nothing is explained in detail.

It is immediately stated that creatine is not harmful to health even in large doses, and this fact is “proven by experts”, but in parallel it is mentioned that if there are contraindications (it is not indicated which ones), you should not take the supplement.

You can find such a recommendation – “use with caution in childhood”, and in another source – “the use of creatine under 18 years of age is not recommended” – studies on adolescents have not been conducted.

In another place, side effects such as digestive disorders, including diarrhea, are mentioned, and it is when taking the powder.

Dehydration, it turns out, is also possible, so it is recommended to drink up to 3 liters of water per day (most people even 2 liters drink with difficulty).

In young athletes, the formation of acne may increase: apparently, not everything has been studied with the hormonal background either.

More about the benefits of creatine. It is indicated that its use:

lowers the level of substances in the body that contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular diseases;
improves brain function and short-term memory;
has an antioxidant effect;
normalizes the course of the most important chemical reactions in cells, etc.
Here, many people have a question: how do they get creatine (including in powder), which is sold as a sports supplement? It is worth saying that not even all bodybuilders are interested in this: getting a result for them is more important than questions of usefulness and harmfulness.

In the body, creatine is formed from amino acids, but it is scarce in tissues, and it is expensive and unprofitable to obtain it from meat or fish: at first they tried to do this, but it turned out that it was impossible to satisfy demand in this way.

Therefore, creatine is obtained from artificially synthesized substances: sarcosine, a derivative of glycine, and the organic compound cyanamide, a derivative of carbamic acid. It turns out the same creatine monohydrate, a popular powder that many athletes take.

How to take creatine powder
If you decide to take creatine, remember: you need to dissolve it in liquid (juice, water) immediately before use. If dissolved in advance, all effectiveness will come to naught. Recommended rate: 3-5 g per day.

It is often recommended to take it like this: 1 tsp. (5 g) in the morning on an empty stomach or after training, immediately, dissolving in sweet juice – the substance will quickly enter the muscles. In general, there is no consensus on the timing of intake, but experienced athletes consider post-workout use to be more effective for gaining lean muscle mass.

Do not use creatine for longer than 1.5-2 months; the break between courses is at least 1-2 months.

Some professional trainers, based on their experience, have come to the conclusion that if you drink creatine more often and exceed dosages, the body may stop producing it on its own, and the athlete will turn into a “hostage”. So when taking creatine, it is better to strictly follow the instructions.