Creatine

Topics Covered:

• What is creatine
• The benefits of elevating creatine levels
• Who might have low levels of creatine
• How to increase creatine levels
• What form of creatine
• What dosage of creatine

 

What is Creatine?

Creatine is an amino acid that, in combination with inorganic phosphate, forms phosphocreatine, an energy source that creates ATP to fuel cells. Put simply, creatine is fuel.

“Creatine monohydrate supplementation can increase the phosphocreatine/creatine ratio in skeletal muscle tissue, thereby increasing the capacity for rapid adenosine triphosphate (ATP) resynthesis during repeated high-intensity exercise tasks”⁹

 

The Benefits of Elevating Creatine Levels:

Physical Benefits (even without training)

↑   POWER
↑   STRENGTH
↑   HYPERTROPHY (MASS)
↑   TOTAL WORK – higher capacity for work = higher potential for growth

 

“Creatine had a positive effect on muscle strength (i.e., an increase), sport performance, and muscle hypertrophy in all healthy young populations, even in those who were untrained”¹⁰

“…peak power output, mean power output, and total work increased in the creatine group…”¹¹

“The increase in lean mass following creatine supplementation has at least partly been attributed to water retention in muscle tissue [13,15]. Greater osmotic pressure following the increase in creatine content has been suggested to result in muscle cell swelling, which is considered a key stimulus for cell growth [13,14,16].”¹²

Mental Benefits

 

“Creatine supplementation is an effective means of enhancing physical performance1, your ability to hydrate, and improve memory and reaction times”2

“…following 24 h of sleep deprivation, creatine supplementation resulted in less change in performance from baseline in random movement generation, choice reaction time, balance and mood state [66]. Furthermore, in a similar experiment by the same group, creatine supplementation attenuated the sleep-deprived loss of complex central executive function [65].”

“…lower creatine levels in the prefrontal cortex are associated with low mood/increased depression”¹⁴

 

Who might have low levels of creatine?

“The daily requirement of a 70-kg (154-lbs) male for creatine is about 2 g; up to half of this may be obtained from a typical omnivorous diet, with the remainder being synthesized in the body”¹⁵

Muscle creatine levels tend to be lower in individuals following vegan or vegetarian diets³ due to creatine stores not being fully saturated⁴

“Vegans and infants fed on soy-based formulas receive no dietary creatine.”¹⁷

Muscle creatine levels tend to be lower in the elderly due to less consumption of meat⁵

How to increase creatine levels?

Supplementing creatine monohydrate effectively raises muscle and plasma creatine levels.

Diets that include regular consumption of meats can satisfy the daily requirement for creatine. Higher levels for performance enhancement can then be easily reached through supplementation.

 

“Co-ingesting CrM with carbohydrates [20,21,22] and carbohydrate and protein [23] promotes more consistent and greater creatine retention.”⁸

 

What form of creatine?

Creatine Monohydrate is the recommended form.

“This paper concluded that no other purported form of creatine had been shown to be a more effective source of creatine than CrM (Creatine Monohydrate), and that CrM (Creatine Monohydrate) was recognized by international regulatory authorities as safe for use in dietary supplements.”⁷

 

What dosage of creatine

Majority of the studies aimed at exploring the physical benefits of creatine monohydrate supplementation roughly follow the below protocol.

A continued daily dosage of 3-5g per day will sufficiently elevate creatine levels. Though to maintain peak levels of creatine in the body, this protocol can be repeated every 4 weeks.

“consuming 4 × 5 g of CrM per day for 6-days (i.e., creatine loading strategy) significantly increased muscle free creatine content by 33% and returned to baseline within 4-weeks after supplementation; (2) ingesting 4 × 5-g doses of CrM for 6-days followed by ingestion of 2 g/day of CrM for 28 days maintained a 36% increase in muscle creatine levels; and (3) ingesting 3 g/day of CrM for 35 days (i.e., low dose supplementation strategy) resulted in a gradual 16.7% increase in muscle creatine content.”¹⁶

The loading phase is optional, but it will ensure peak creatine levels are reached and maintained for maximum efficacy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources

1. Kaviani M, Shaw K, Chilibeck PD. Benefits of Creatine Supplementation for Vegetarians Compared to Omnivorous Athletes: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Apr 27;17(9):3041. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17093041. PMID: 32349356; PMCID: PMC7246861.
2. Benton, D., & Donohoe, R. (2011). The influence of creatine supplementation on the cognitive functioning of vegetarians and omnivores. British Journal of Nutrition, 105(7), 1100-1105. doi:10.1017/S0007114510004733
3. Kreider RB, Jäger R, Purpura M. Bioavailability, Efficacy, Safety, and Regulatory Status of Creatine and Related Compounds: A Critical Review. Nutrients. 2022 Feb 28;14(5):1035. doi: 10.3390/nu14051035. PMID: 35268011; PMCID: PMC8912867.
4. Kreider RB, Jäger R, Purpura M. Bioavailability, Efficacy, Safety, and Regulatory Status of Creatine and Related Compounds: A Critical Review. Nutrients. 2022 Feb 28;14(5):1035. doi: 10.3390/nu14051035. PMID: 35268011; PMCID: PMC8912867.
5. “Kreider RB, Jäger R, Purpura M. Bioavailability, Efficacy, Safety, and Regulatory Status of Creatine and Related Compounds: A Critical Review. Nutrients. 2022 Feb 28;14(5):1035. doi: 10.3390/nu14051035. PMID: 35268011; PMCID: PMC8912867.”
6. “Kreider RB, Jäger R, Purpura M. Bioavailability, Efficacy, Safety, and Regulatory Status of Creatine and Related Compounds: A Critical Review. Nutrients. 2022 Feb 28;14(5):1035. doi: 10.3390/nu14051035. PMID: 35268011; PMCID: PMC8912867.”
7. Kreider RB, Jäger R, Purpura M. Bioavailability, Efficacy, Safety, and Regulatory Status of Creatine and Related Compounds: A Critical Review. Nutrients. 2022 Feb 28;14(5):1035. doi: 10.3390/nu14051035. PMID: 35268011; PMCID: PMC8912867.
8. “Kreider RB, Jäger R, Purpura M. Bioavailability, Efficacy, Safety, and Regulatory Status of Creatine and Related Compounds: A Critical Review. Nutrients. 2022 Feb 28;14(5):1035. doi: 10.3390/nu14051035. PMID: 35268011; PMCID: PMC8912867.”
9. “Wu SH, Chen KL, Hsu C, Chen HC, Chen JY, Yu SY, Shiu YJ. Creatine Supplementation for Muscle Growth: A Scoping Review of Randomized Clinical Trials from 2012 to 2021. Nutrients. 2022 Mar 16;14(6):1255. doi: 10.3390/nu14061255. PMID: 35334912; PMCID: PMC8949037.”
10. Wu SH, Chen KL, Hsu C, Chen HC, Chen JY, Yu SY, Shiu YJ. Creatine Supplementation for Muscle Growth: A Scoping Review of Randomized Clinical Trials from 2012 to 2021. Nutrients. 2022 Mar 16;14(6):1255. doi: 10.3390/nu14061255. PMID: 35334912; PMCID: PMC8949037.
11. “Wu SH, Chen KL, Hsu C, Chen HC, Chen JY, Yu SY, Shiu YJ. Creatine Supplementation for Muscle Growth: A Scoping Review of Randomized Clinical Trials from 2012 to 2021. Nutrients. 2022 Mar 16;14(6):1255. doi: 10.3390/nu14061255. PMID: 35334912; PMCID: PMC8949037.”
12. “Wu SH, Chen KL, Hsu C, Chen HC, Chen JY, Yu SY, Shiu YJ. Creatine Supplementation for Muscle Growth: A Scoping Review of Randomized Clinical Trials from 2012 to 2021. Nutrients. 2022 Mar 16;14(6):1255. doi: 10.3390/nu14061255. PMID: 35334912; PMCID: PMC8949037.”
13. Forbes SC, Cordingley DM, Cornish SM, Gualano B, Roschel H, Ostojic SM, Rawson ES, Roy BD, Prokopidis K, Giannos P, Candow DG. Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Brain Function and Health. Nutrients. 2022 Feb 22;14(5):921. doi: 10.3390/nu14050921. PMID: 35267907; PMCID: PMC8912287.
14. Forbes SC, Cordingley DM, Cornish SM, Gualano B, Roschel H, Ostojic SM, Rawson ES, Roy BD, Prokopidis K, Giannos P, Candow DG. Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Brain Function and Health. Nutrients. 2022 Feb 22;14(5):921. doi: 10.3390/nu14050921. PMID: 35267907; PMCID: PMC8912287.
15. “Brosnan ME, Brosnan JT. The role of dietary creatine. Amino Acids. 2016 Aug;48(8):1785-91. doi: 10.1007/s00726-016-2188-1. Epub 2016 Feb 13. PMID: 26874700.”
16. Kreider RB, Jäger R, Purpura M. Bioavailability, Efficacy, Safety, and Regulatory Status of Creatine and Related Compounds: A Critical Review. Nutrients. 2022 Feb 28;14(5):1035. doi: 10.3390/nu14051035. PMID: 35268011; PMCID: PMC8912867.
17. Brosnan ME, Brosnan JT. The role of dietary creatine. Amino Acids. 2016 Aug;48(8):1785-91. doi: 10.1007/s00726-016-2188-1. Epub 2016 Feb 13. PMID: 26874700.