Creatine

Other Names: Cr, Creatina, Créatine, Créatine Anhydre, Creatine Anhydrous, Creatine Citrate, Créatine Citrate, Creatine Ethyl Ester, Créatine Ethyl Ester, Creatine Ethyl Ester HCl, Créatine Ethyl Ester HCl, Créatine Kré Alkaline, Creatine Malate, Créatine Malate, Creatine Monohydrate, Créatine Monohydrate, Créatine Monohydratée, Creatine Pyroglutamate, Créatine Pyroglutamate, Creatine Pyruvate, Créatine Pyruvate, Dicreatine Malate, Dicréatine Malate, Di-Creatine Malate, Éthyle Ester de Créatine, Glycine, N-(aminoiminométhyl)-N-Méthyl, Kre-Alkalyn Pyruvate, Malate de Tricréatine, N-amidinosarcosine, N-(aminoiminomethyl)-N Methyl Glycine, Phosphocreatine, Phosphocréatine, Tricreatine HCA, Tricréatine HCA, Tricreatine Malate, Tricréatine Malate.
Creatine is a chemical that is normally found in the body, mostly in muscles. Creatine is a compound that's involved in the production of energy in the body, in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Made in the liver, approximately 95% of the body's creatine ends up being stored in skeletal muscles and the remaining 5% is found in the brain, heart and testes. Once it's used, creatine is converted to a waste product called creatinine and excreted in urine. It is made by the body and can also be obtained from certain foods. Fish and meats are good sources of creatine. Creatine is found in small amounts in red meat and fish. However, much of it is destroyed by cooking. It's also made naturally in the body from L-arginine, L-glycine and L-methionine, amino acids that are principally found in animal protein. Insulin is needed for creatine to enter muscles, so consuming carbohydrates with creatine may increase the amount of creatine available to muscles. Creatine can also be made in the laboratory.

Special Precautions of Creatine

• Possible side effects of creatine include:
  • Stomach cramps
  • Nausea
  • Diarrhea
  • Loss of appetite
  • Muscle cramps
  • Weight gain
• Creatine may cause water to be drawn away from other areas of the body and into muscle tissue, which could increase the risk of dehydration.
• High doses of creatine could potentially injure the kidneys, liver and heart. Theoretically, creatine may cause kidney damage because its by-product, creatinine, is filtered through the kidneys into urine. Although studies haven't found adverse events in recommended doses, there have been a couple of case reports of people who have experienced kidney collapse and three deaths in people taking creatine, but there is no definitive evidence that creatine was the cause. People with kidney disease or liver disease should avoid creatine.
• Creatine supplements may cause asthmatic symptoms, such as wheezing and coughing, in some people.
• People with McArdle's disease shouldn't use high doses of creatine because it has been found to increase muscle pain.
• There is some concern that oral creatine supplements are metabolized in the body to a toxic waste product formaldehyde, which could potentially damage cells, DNA molecules and blood vessels.
• Pregnant or nursing women or children should not use creatine supplements.
• One of the main safety concerns is that individuals using creatine to enhance athletic performance or muscle mass, particularly adolescents, may exceed recommended dosages and take it without supervision.
  

Possible Drug and Supplement Interactions :

• Because creatine could theoretically affect kidney function, it should not be taken with prescription drugs that could also potentially affect the kidneys, such as aminoglycoside antibiotics (Amikacin, tobramycin, Nebcin), immunosuppressant drugs such as cyclosporine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve).
• Creatine supplements should not be taken with the herb ephedra because of increased risk of side effects. There was one case of stroke in a person taking creatine and ephedra. Although there was no definite link between the combination of herbs and the stroke, it is best to avoid the combination.

The benefits of Creatine are

• Athletic Performance : Research suggests that creatine may provide some benefit in improving performance in high-intensity, short-duration activities such as weight lifting and sprinting.
• Parkinson's Disease (PD). Creatine might slow the worsening of some symptoms in people with early Parkinson’s disease.
• Increasing strength and endurance in people with heart failure.
• Increasing strength in people with muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophy.
• Slowing loss of sight in an eye disease called gyrate atrophy.
• Improving symptoms of a muscle disease called McArdle's disease. There is some evidence that taking high-dose creatine daily can increase exercise capacity and decrease exercise-induced muscle pain in some patients with McArdle's disease.
• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Taking creatine can increase muscle strength in people with RA, but it doesn’t seem to help them function better physically.
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease). Creatine may strengthen muscle, it has been suggested as a complementary treatment for conditions in which muscle weakness occurs, such as muscular dystrophy, congestive heart failure, Huntington's disease, McArdle's disease (also called glycogen storage disease type V), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, Parkinson's disease and after injury or surgery.