If you are involved in sports you may have heard of a substance called creatine, a nitrogenous organic acid that assists in supplying energy to cells all throughout the body, in particular, muscle cells. Creatine can be found naturally in foods like fish and red meat and is also manufactured by the body.
Another way that you can make sure your body is getting plenty of this energy-producing substance is by taking a creatine supplement. Athletes often rely on these supplements to build muscle mass and improve their athletic performance. Supplements are also used to help people whose bodies can’t metabolise enough creatine properly on their own
Creatine makes up about 1 percent of human blood’s total volume, and is comprised of three amino acids, glycine, L-arginine, and L-methionine. It is transported through the blood for use in parts of the body that have high energy demands, like the brain and skeletal muscle.
The human body stores about 5 percent of its creatine supply in the brain, and the other 95 percent in skeletal muscle. Each day about 2 percent of the body’s store of creatine is converted for use by the pancreas, the liver, and the kidneys. The average person’s body requires between 1 and 3 grams of creatine daily. Half of this is sourced from the diet, and the remainder is synthesised inside the body. About half a kilo of raw beef or salmon can provide 1 to 2 grams of creatine.
Creatine is very popular with athletes who use creatine supplements to increase their body’s energy production and improve their physical performance, allowing them to train harder and longer. The ISSN (International Society of Sports Nutrition) states that larger-framed athletes who are undergoing intense training “may need to consume between 5 and 10 grams of creatine a day” in order to maintain their body’s stores of this critical substance. Those individuals who suffer from health conditions that prevent their bodies from naturally synthesizing creatine may need to supplement with 10 to 30 grams a day in order to remain healthy.
The reason athletes are drawn to taking creatine supplements is that they produce more energy for the body to use, allowing them to work harder and achieve greater results from their training as well as enhance their performance in their chosen sport. A study by the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine concluded that creatine “may improve performance involving short periods of extremely powerful activity, especially during repeated bouts.” Various research shows that creatine supplements can:
- Increase the benefits and quality of high-intensity intermittent speed training
- Add to the positive effects of resistance training on body mass and strength
- Improves endurance performance in aerobic exercise activities of more than 150 seconds duration
- Enhances neurological function, strength, muscle power, fat-free mass, and daily living performance
- Prevents muscle damage from overwork and injury
- Speeds up the recovery process when an athlete suffers an injury
- Produces an antioxidant effect after intense resistance training
- Helps reduce muscle cramping
Considering that creatine is created by the body, it’s only logical that supplementing the natural supply will bring positive results to those who regularly push their bodies past their limits!
