Creatine for muscle building

Many people in recreational sports expect more effective training and faster muscle growth from taking creatine. However, these effects have yet to be scientifically proven. Creatine is generally tolerated, but side effects such as diarrhoea or flatulence can still occur. So that the intake is not associated with more severe dangers, only high-quality creatine should be bought. Otherwise, there is a risk of contamination with harmful substances.

What is creatine?

Creatine (aka creatine) is sold as a dietary supplement as a white, odourless and tasteless powder. However, creatine is an endogenous acid that occurs primarily in the muscle cells. In the body, it is produced in the liver, kidneys and pancreas. The basic building blocks are the three amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine.

In addition, creatine can be ingested through food. However, vegan or vegetarian people are at a disadvantage here: Creatine is mainly found in the muscle tissue of animals, i.e. in meat and fish. It is rarely found in plant foods.

 

effects of creatine

For us to move, our body needs energy. This energy is released in the muscle cells by splitting ATP (adenosine triphosphate) into ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and phosphoric acid. However, the ATP supply in the body is already exhausted after a few seconds—the body resorts to creatine phosphate in the next step during intensive exertion to continue releasing energy.

Creatine phosphate is made in the liver from creatine and phosphate. In the muscles, it ensures that ADP can be converted back into ATP. This means that new energy reserves are available to the body again. Taking creatine can increase the concentration of creatine phosphate in the muscle cells. How does this affect performance and muscle mass building in concrete terms?

Creatine for muscle building

Adults need different amounts of creatine depending on muscle mass and physical activity. However, the daily requirement can be covered by the body’s production.

Many athletes expect more effective training and increased performance by taking creatine as a dietary supplement. It can be assumed that creatine positively affects performance if only in combination with targeted training.

So far, however, it has only been scientifically proven for a minimal area of ​​application: Dietary supplements that allow the intake of an additional three grams of creatine per day can increase performance during explosive strength training. This is short but intense physical training. First and foremost, strength athletes in bodybuilding, weightlifting or sprinting benefit since short, intensive loads can be sustained for longer. The investigations related to creatine in the form of monohydrate.

However, significant leaps in performance should not be expected from taking creatine.

Many athletes also hope that supplementing with creatine will help build muscle faster. However, this is mainly due to water retention in the muscles.

About muscle building, only one positive effect has been scientifically confirmed in a tiny target group: people over 55 who do strength training at least three times a week can benefit from the daily intake of three grams of creatine and build muscle mass better.

Due to its effects, creatine is also used to treat certain diseases. This is the case, for example, with muscle diseases associated with muscle weakness and muscle wasting.

 

Is creatine doping?

As a dietary supplement, creatine is not on the doping list and is not prohibited in top-class sports. However, traces of anabolic steroids have been detected in some products. For example, anabolic steroids can mix with creatine if the bottling plants are not cleaned properly.

That’s why always paying attention to high quality when buying creatine products is essential. Anabolic steroids are harmful to our bodies, and in the case of competitive athletes, they can also lead to a positive doping test.

Take creatine properly

During a creatine cycle, enough liquid must be consumed. This flushes the powder into the stomach and promotes absorption in the blood and muscles. On the other hand, creatine is less effective if you drink too little. Creatine also ensures that the muscles withdraw more water from the body.

Currently, creatine is available not only as a powder but also in liquid form and in bars, capsules, or chewable tablets. However, these products are often less effective: In liquids, for example, creatine can lose its effectiveness over time – the breakdown of the substance creatinine is formed. Bars or chewable tablets are usually not taken with enough liquid for creatine to have its full effect.

Ideally, creatine should not be taken before but after training. Optimally, utilization is ensured if the daily dose is not taken all at once but distributed over the day.

Dosage of creatine

Depending on the provider, different doses are recommended for a creatine cure.

In the past, the intake was divided into different phases: At the beginning, there was a loading phase lasting several days, in which more significant amounts of creatine were taken to fill the stores. Up to 20 grams of creatine was taken at this stage. However, studies showed that the body could not utilize the total amount and that the creatine was excreted again.

It makes more sense to start directly with the so-called maintenance phase.  Three grams of creatine are taken daily. After four weeks, there should be an equally long weaning phase in which no creatine is taken. This is necessary because the artificial supply throttles the body’s production.

 

side effects of creatine

Side effects can also occur when taking creatine. These are more likely to occur with higher dose supplementation. Possible side effects of creatine include:

• bad breath flatulence
• Diarrhea
• nausea and vomiting
• muscle cramps
• water retention

Water retention can lead to a weight gain of between one and three kilograms. The pressure in the muscle cells also increases. This increases the risk of injury.

If side effects increase due to taking creatine, you should seek medical advice. This also applies if you have impaired kidney function. Because the breakdown product of creatine – creatinine – is excreted through the kidneys. So far, it has not been proven that harmful long-term effects can occur as a result of taking creatine. However, there could be a connection to the development of testicular cancer.

Side effects: possible effects on the testicles?

A US study 2015 examined whether there could be a possible connection between the intake of androstenedione and creatine and the development of cancer cells in the testicles. 1 Around 800 men were interviewed, around 350 of whom had testicular cancer.

The study found that those who regularly took both supplements had a 65 per cent higher risk of developing testicular cancer. However, the study did not clarify how significant the impact is when taking creatine alone. The researchers also suspected that it was not the dietary supplements that could increase the risk of cancer but rather contamination from other substances.

buy creatine

When purchasing creatine, it is essential to purchase a high-quality product. Otherwise, there is a risk that the powder will contain other ingredients that can harm health. Many cheap products also contain more significant amounts of the ineffective breakdown product creatinine instead of creatine.

Distinguishing high-quality from inferior creatine, however, is a challenge. Since creatine is a dietary supplement, not a medical product, it is not subject to strict quality controls.

To offer creatine cheaper, some manufacturers skimp on removing impurities. But that harbours dangers because cheap powders can contain harmful substances such as dihydro triazine, dicyandiamide or mercury. Such impurities cannot be detected with the naked eye but only through a laboratory analysis. It is therefore advisable to give priority to buying products that were manufactured in Germany.