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Dale Magnuson [email protected] |
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By Dale Magnuson August 20, 1998 Creatine Monohydrate, or creatine for short, is such a new substance on the market not much is known about it. Creatine is an amino acid that is produced by the liver. The idea of creatine is to give the body a supplement to help the liver do its job. Because creatine has been on the market for less than a decade we do not know what the long term effects of it are. Creatine is found in milk, beef, and fish, so if you chose not to use creatine supplements after reading this article you are not going to lose anything. About Creatine The energy burned during exercise is ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate). The very simple explaination is that ATP stands for adenosine tri-phosphate. Tri means that it consists of 3 molecules. ADP stands for adenosine di-phosphate. Di means that it consists of 2 molecules. ATP and ADP are very similar. When the body is exercising it is breaking the ATP bond from 3 molecules to 2 molecules. The body only stores a small amount of ATP so it needs to create more ATP during exercise to keep exercising. Creatine is the amino acid that carries the molecule back to the ADP so it can become ATP again to be used as energy. The Scientific Part The body uses Creatine to recycle ADP (adenosine di-phosphate) into ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate). This is sometimes called "energy metabolism." ATP is stored in the mitochondria of muscle cells and produces energy when converted into ADP. Muscle fatigue occurs when the supply of ATP begins to deplete. Creatine is then used by the body to convert ADP into ATP therefore providing more energy to the muscles. When energy is released from the ATP molecule it drops off a phosphate, which becomes ADP. During this reaction creatine combines with a phosphate molecule forming a phosphocreatine molecule which delivers the phosphate to the ADP molecule reforming ATP. Oral supplementation of creatine monohydrate has been shown to increase the re-synthesis of ATP from ADP during muscle contractions. Does All This Really Work? Many studies exist showing that creatine does increase conversion time of ADP to ATP. A relationship exists between the amount of hydration in a muscle cell and the amount of work it can do. Creatine makes a cell retain water and therefore should increase the amount of work it can do. In many studies the use of creatine supplements not only showed decreased muscle recovery time, but also increased muscle mass, more explosive power, and strength. Findings report that increased muscle mass is mostly water and one source stated that there was an increase in the size of Type II muscle fibers. Is Creatine For Me? Creatine Supplements are expensive. Many supplements recommended dosages are large at the beginning and then taper off. By taking 4-5 dosages a day, this can get very expensive. If you are not serious about training you may see results but you will pay for them monetarily. Some companies will actually go as far as guaranteeing muscle mass increases. The web page "Creatine Monohydrate" (http://www.4creatine.com/), states that, "Athletes in Britain have been tested while utilizing Creatine Monohydrate. The study found that there was a 20-30% increase in Creatine Phosphate in the muscle mass." Not everyone can use creatine. In "Scott's Home Page" (http://nimbus.ocis.temple.edu/~sklein/), he states that "There are also people who are immune to its [creatine] effects. They are officially called "non-responders". These people are studied little and it is not known why they are immune or who these people are." If you do choose to use creatine make sure to keep accurate and concise records of when you take the supplement. Side Effects No one yet knows the long-term side effects of creatine. YOU ARE TAKING A RISK BY USING CREATINE. Some sources state that with the amount of extra creatine contrived through the diet, the body might stop producing it. The only way we will find out the negative effects of long term use is time. In time we might find out the hard way that it can be dangerous. Further Reading about Creatine Scott's Home Page Creatine Monohydrate Creatine FAQ's Hines, Harry Matlock. Creatine metabolism ... |
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Dale Magnuson [email protected] |
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