Creatine

What is the recommended loading dose for creatine?

25 g/day for the first 4-5 days

How does creatine work in the metabolic system?

ATP is broken down into ADP, phosphate, and energy; ADP combines with creatine phosphate to create ATP and creatine; creatine combines with phosphate to create creatine phosphate

What is creatine often used as? What is creatine really?

an anabolic agent however it is not one; it is a metabolic support supplement

How much creatine should be taken each day?

body can only store 2 g/day but it is suggested to take 5 g/day to counteract the amount lost during absorption

How does creatine impact kidney function?

decreases glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow

When did creatine become popular?

early 1990s

What happens if you take more than 2-5 g/day of creatine?

excess creatine found in urine

Where does creatine come from?

half is from animal products in our diets and the other half is produced by the liver, pancreas, and kidneys from amino acids

When is CP used during exercise?

immediate ATP used for first 5 seconds and CP is used from 5 to 10-15 seconds

How has creatine impacted muscle damage/injury?

incidence of muscle strains, pull, and tears have increased

What are the believed effects of increased CP stores from creatine supplementation?

increased ATP resynthesis during exercise and recovery and no change in ATP amount before exercise

What does an increase in creatine stores do?

increases the amount of CP used to resynthesizes ATP during high intensity, short duration exercise

What effect does creatine have on body mass?

increases total body mass by 2-8 pounds due to overload on muscle causing protein synthesis and water retention

What has research found about creatine in relation to exercise performance?

it increases strength, power, sprint performance and/or work performed during multiple sets

What are the suggested impacts high doses of creatine?

kidney stress and liver damage

What are other reported side effects of creatine by users?

muscle cramps, dehydration in vasculature, and electrolyte imbalances

Are all research findings significant for creatine?

no

Are there many long-term side effects in human?

no and there may not be any

Is creatine useful for endurance athletes? Why?

no because they use aerobic metabolism

How is creatine administered?

oral ingestion

Where is creatine stored?

primarily in the skeletal muscle and 66% is stored as CP

What type of exercise is creatine most useful for?

resistance exercise where near maximum efforts are performed with short rest periods

What impact is long term use of creatine supplements believed to have?

suppression of creatine synthesis in the body

How can absorption of creatine be improved?

taking it with glucose

What do manufacturers report as the side effect of creatine?

weight gain

Is creatine often used with other supplements?

yes it is used in cocktails

What has research found about creatine in relation to metabolism?

Earnest and Krieder found positive effects on lipid profile and strength but more research is needed

What did an influential study on rats find about creatine?

Ferreira found that rats that took 2 g/kg food/day of creatine and exercised on a treadmill for 10 weeks had a greater increase in lean body mass than rats that only exercised or only took creatine