What are the benefits of taking creatine?

If you have ever hovered near the supplements at Fast Twitch and I am around, I'll usually bee line to offer some help. Creatine is on the top of my list for supplementation that almost everyone should be taking. Today I want to break down what it is, how we use it, who may need more of it and best sources. It is the most researched and proven supplement. Big breath as we dive in!

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is naturally occurring in certain foods as well as being endogenously produced by our bodies. It plays a major role in the storage and release of energy and is involved in a very wide array of biological processes from improving pregnancy outcomes, bone mineral density, muscle mass, neurological function and immune function. It is best known as a dietary supplement for improving physical performance, but it does so much more! Creatine can be synthesised in the liver from arginine, glycine and methionine (AGM). 50% of our creatine is required from diet, 50% comes from endogenous production (for meat eaters). Milk, fruit & veg contain only trace amounts of creatine. Dietary sources include meat, fish, chicken. NB: these sources vary depending on cooking time, as creatine will convert into creatinine when heated. Creatinine is the end product of creatine metabolism and is excreted. Creatine synthesis is a burden on methionine and arginine metabolism, approximately 40% of the body’s SAMe (s-adenosylmethionine) is directed at creatine synthesis. I can’t stress how important this point is! Transferring of methyl groups from methionine via SAMe to creatine for synthesis. We will talk about methylation in another post.

Creatine content and excretion will vary according to age, gender, muscle mass, activity levels and dietary patterns. A base rule is you will have a 2 gram turnover rate per day. A study found that the creatine content of muscles in adult males who adhere to a vegetarian diet is 30% lower than those who eat fish, meat and dairy products. The suggestion here is that those vegetarians and vegans may benefit from creatine supplementation, especially considering point 4. If you have a mutation in the MTHFR gene (which impairs homocysteine metabolism) there is some limited evidence to suggest that creatine supplementation can free up methyl groups for other biological functions like DNA methylation and protein synthesis. Creatine is stored as either free creatine or creatine phosphate and is mainly stored in skeletal and cardiac muscle (90%) remainder is in brain, liver and kidneys. Literally hundreds of studies have shown that creatine monohydrate (the supplement form: added molecule of H20 to increase absorption), elicits no adverse health risks. There is another source of creatine called creatine hydrochloride and is better absorbed (by 60%) compared to monohydrate however there aren’t enough studies on its safety and efficacy. Creatine phosphate acts as a cellular energy reserve. Basically the phosphate group is donated to ADP to recreate ATP, helps maintain ATP levels for a longer period of time.

Creatine Loading Phase

Loading phase is a thing, 4-7 days 0.3grams/kilogram of bodyweight will increase skeletal stores by up to 40%. Maintenance then at 3-5grams per day.

Benefits of Creatine Usage

Many, many studies have shown that creatine uptake improves exercise performance whilst low levels are closely related to muscle fatigue. The degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass, bone density and strength are hallmarks of ageing. A study showed that a combination of resistance training and creatine supplementation leads to greater physiological benefits compared to resistance training alone, ie improves lower and upper body strength, increases fat free mass, muscular endurance and increases bone mineral density. Numerous studies have shown creatine is implicated in brain development and function even though not all mechanisms of action have been uncovered. Creatine increases cognitive performance and aids in treatment of disorders such as Huntington’s disease and Parkinson's disease. Creatine in animal studies has been shown to prevent poor pregnancy outcomes, though it is still recommended to increase dietary sources during pregnancy as this data is preliminary. Creatine is naturally transferred from the maternal circulation to the foetus via the placenta, a human study on preterm infants found that breastfed infants had higher creatine levels in the cerebellum compared to formula fed. Cerebellum is a brain region that supports high-order cognitive function. Creatine potentially can be used to lower blood lipids and glycemic control. One study showed in adults with high cholesterol, creatine supplementation with 5g creatine for 8 weeks caused a 6% reduction in total cholesterol and a 23% reduction in triglycerides and 22% reduction in very low density lipoprotein. This result was found only in those with high cholesterol, the same results were not repeated in healthy individuals. To gain a greater understanding of how creatine may positively effect your body, book a body composition analysis scan with our InBody 570 Scanner.

Summary

To wrap it up creatine has been shown to have a very positive role in traumatic brain injury, creatine neurodegenerative protective effects may arise as a preventative agent (use before you get it). Depression is multifactorial however research implicates impairments in brain energy utilisation, creatine can enhance this and in one study showed depressive symptoms decreased by 56%.

Creatine is important for an array of biological functions, and from studies appears to be safe and well tolerated by most people. The side effects of weight gain from increased muscle mass and body water content are negligible for the amazing benefits. Those who are vegans or vegetarians should consider supplementing and reduce the burden on methionine metabolism. If you are exercising regularly and want to maintain bone density, muscle mass and get neuroprotective effects as you age, well start taking CREATINE! If you’re looking to check your bone density, please, feel free to check out our InBody 570 Body Composition Analysis Scanner!