CREATINE

12/04/24

everything you need to know about creatine in the sporting world

Creatine: confirmations and new horizons

Everyone in the body-building community, as well as those who practise anaerobic sports in particular, know it for its well-founded properties and effectiveness. We are talking about creatine, one of the most famous and most widely used supplements of all, with proven efficacy in various sports.
Used as a source of ATP, this interesting molecule has not had an easy time of it, and has even been wrongly condemned as a doping and even harmful substance.
But the fact is that it works, and does so well on most people.
But do we really know everything about it and its possible applications? Is itreally that important to take it?
It is not our intention to repeat concepts that have already been addressed thousands of times on the activity related to ATP formation and so on, but we would like to show how a substance labelled and supported by so many studies for its known energy properties, can have multiple captivating facets.
Let's start by saying that, far from being a miracle supplement, let alone one that can be defined as 'doping' as the 'uninformed' have done or ignorantly do, it is undeniable that its many functions are not just limited to athletic performance (as everyone now knows) but its target is extended to multiple levels, such as the brain, the bone system, up to the immune system where it exerts a cognitive-stimulating action and for its anti-inflammatory action.

What is creatine

Creatine is a nitrogen compound that is naturally produced by the body from three amino acids (glycine, arginine and methionine) in the kidneys, pancreas, but mainly in the liver.
About 95 per cent of it is stored in skeletal muscle, two-thirds of it in the form of phosphocreatine.
From this location it is then released into the bloodstream and picked up by muscle fibres mainly via a sodium-chloride-dependent creatine transporter, CreaT1.

THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF CREATINE

In order for adenosine diphosphate (ADP) to be re-phosphorylated into adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during and after strenuous exercise, it is fundamentally dependent on phosphocreatine stored in the muscle.When phosphocreatine stores are depleted during exercise, the availability of energy decreases due to the inability to resynthesise ATP in the required amount with consequent performance consequences.
Consequently, the ability to maintain a constant level of exertion decreases. This is why it is advisable to take it orally in supplement form, not least because in order to take 'suitable' amounts, it is really 'hard' to ingest a lot of meat and fish (the endogenous food sources) to get a bioavailable gram.
In addition, it has been hypothesised that increased muscle creatine content, through creatine supplementation, may increase the availability of phosphocreatine, allowing an accelerated rate of ATP resynthesis during and after high-intensity, short-duration exercise.
Hence the boom in the sports supplementation market, the footballer, the rugby player as well as the skier can only benefit. Increased supply, increased recovery and strong neo ATP = strong>strong explosive power. The body builder himself will find more ATP will particularly benefit. But as I have already mentioned, its functions can be much more extensive.

EFFECTS AND BENEFITS OF CREATINE

Brain 'Power

Curious is this factor! It is undeniable that lifting more weight also raises the ego, but there is scientific evidence that has shown the improvement of mental faculties.
Interestingly, one respectable study showed that creatine monohydrate helped the effects of antidepressant drugs (SSRIs) in speeding up their effects on female participants. It is no coincidence then that in pharmacies we find blends of antioxidants, B-vitamins, minerals and other substances that may have some influence on memory, often recommended (and overrated) for students or as a restorative for times of stress. Well, creatine is often found there precisely because it appears to have good support for cognitive abilities and memory.

Systemic methylation enhancement

And what does that mean for those who don't eat 'bread and chemistry' every day? Let's clarify this for a moment.
We all know that creatine's function is energetic, aiding the development of muscle strength and volume. The latter factor also supports it by aiding the so-called 'methylation' cycle, which is a complex biochemical mechanism that, put very simply, handles or contributes to a wide range of essential bodily functions, including:
-   detoxification
-   regulation of immune function
-   DNA maintenance
-   energy production
-   control of inflammation
Methylation is therefore a delicate process essential for life itself. SAMe (adenosylmethionine) is the main molecule responsible for the donation of methyl groups in the body. Endogenous creatine formation (which takes place mainly in the liver and kidneys) depletes SAMe reserves by negatively influencing methylation, so supplementation will certainly be a positive support, causing the body to seek amino acids for creatine formation.

Reducing inflammation and improving recovery

For any training to be effective, it must be aided by more than adequate recovery. Creatine we know improves performance and muscle growth at the cellular level, but it also aids recovery between training sessions by playing a key role in modulating inflammation.
It has been shown that by measuring inflammatory (and therefore muscle pain-related) markers such as creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, prostaglandins E2, and tumour necrosis factor alpha, in runners after thirty kilometres of running, the researchers showed that by supplementing creatine by twenty grams with fifteen maltodextrins per day for five days prior to the event, these values were significantly different from the study group that had not taken it, which instead had a six-fold increase in creatine kinase compared to the initial level, but also saw a six-fold increase in prostaglandin E2 and a 43% increase in lactate dehydrogenase.
The creatine-supplemented group showed no appreciable increase in lactate dehydrogenase and a 19% reduction in creatine kinase, 61% reduction in prostaglandin E2 and a 34% reduction in tumour necrosis factor alpha compared to the control group. They concluded that creatine supplementation would reduce exercise-induced cell damage and related inflammation.
 

Increased IGF-1 recruitment of satellite cells

Even the average body builder knows how important the production of IGF-1, an important growth factor on the activation of satellite cells, is. During creatine supplementation, IGF-1 levels are significantly higher, but the interesting thing is that it may also directly activate satellite cells and their differentiation.
These are responsible for repairing and rearranging muscle cells.

Rapid weight gain

Not that the previous points were not important, but what the body builder is primarily interested in is then in front of his or her mirror. When muscles are saturated with creatine, being an osmotically active substance, they can retain more water inside them, giving a fuller, rounder appearance. This osmosis will cause an increase in cell volume, giving value to the basic biochemical concept that 'a hydrated cell is an anabolic cell', which in turn will cause a stretch effect of the cell membrane and biochemical consequences that further promote muscle growth.

Side effects of creatine

Is creatine bad for you? Rather than bloating, even abdominal bloating, users note some water retention (extracellular), but by and large it is a safe product.
The 'fairy tale' that it had the potential to create kidney or liver damage by a bigoted and often too closed scientific community has ultimately proved to be completely unfounded, with several studies confirming this (creatine is the supplement with the most studies).Muscle cramps, contractures, dehydration and diarrhoea are ailments highlighted by some users, in fact what I noticed in athletes were (albeit a few) episodes of dysentery and slight dehydration.

What is the best type of creatine?

In recent years several forms of creatine have come out, the citrate, the ethyl ester, nitrate, malate, pyruvate, the alkaline, the liquid and the most recent the hydrochloride.
Many forms have been modified to have, or rather try to have better forms of transport and absorption but the best remains the classic creatine monohydrate.
While all of these forms have had moments of interest only to perhaps fade away, the only new form that is having interesting results is hydrochloride, which is absorbed very effectively and would give less water retention and bloating than monohydrate.While the effervescent version would give no absorption benefit over the monohydrate as some boasted, just as the liquid and ethyl ester are 'unstable' in the sense that they are unlikely to all arrive 'at their destination', the 'micronised' version of the monohydrate may have benefits for those who tolerate it poorly in the intestines.

how to use creatine

Creatine loading phase: is it needed or not?

Fatidic question! Years ago when it first came out on the market, given the lack of knowledge at the time, it was required to do some sort of loading to saturate the muscle stores and then follow this up with a maintenance supply. This was always to be combined with simple sugars because they were said to 'carry' the creatine better.But what does the real science say? On average, a 70kg man has about 120g of creatine stores, 95% of which reside in the skeletal muscles. Undoubtedly it is a quick way to replenish muscle stores and gain weight, with favourable effects on performance.
You hear of so many loading and intake systems, from one or two days, up to two weeks, with dosages ranging from four to six intakes per day of 5grams at a time.In reasonable moderation, for loading efficacy, a two- or three-day phase would be advisable, in which 0.071g/kg body weight (about 6g on a 90kg athlete) taken four times a day, possibly in combination with high-carbohydrate meals to have a significant insulin response to aid transport.

Following this phase, you should reduce the intake to a single daily intake to about 0.029g/kg (so about 2.5g/3 for the 90kg person), which often becomes standardised to 5g/day for better effect, bearing in mind that the builder trains intensively and often with a substantial volume of work.
That said, no rule is law, as the loading phase itself for many is not necessary. It is often recommended to reduce or eliminate creatine for one or two months, and then resume it, but no studies support this theory.
It is argued that it is better to use it for two or even three months with one month off, because it would increase the effectiveness of the transport mechanisms to the muscle cells and therefore a better response (not surprisingly, after a certain period of use it is easy to notice a loss of effect).Many users have had excellent results by simply taking it with (plenty of) water and a high-carbohydrate meal or by adding (as was done long ago) grape juice to maximise absorption.It is known that if insulin levels are high there will be better absorption, and for those on low-carbs or carb backloading diets, one can opt for insulin agonists such as whey, bcaa, or GDAs (glucose disposal agents) such as lipoic acid or cinnamon.

Is creatine effective for everyone?

It is important to consider that there is some variability in the response to creatine supplementation.
This is why the terms "responders" and "non-responders" have been defined to differentiate between subjects, i.e. those who respond or do not respond positively to the effect of creatine. It is hypothesised that much of this variability is found in the regulation and activity of creatine transporters. The increase in muscle stores is dependent on the levels present in the muscle prior to supplementation. Hence the loading phase advice. Individuals with naturally lower muscle creatine stores, such as those who eat little or no meat or fish (vegetarian diet), are more likely to see an increase in muscle storage of 20-40%, whereas those with relatively high muscle stores may only increase muscle storage by 10-20%. 

In conclusion, creatine is not just a supplement for the muscles, it is clear that it can be used for both the bodybuilder and the 'average man', young or old.
For the body builder in particular, it confirms itself as a first-choice supplement to keep in the arsenal for the well-founded help it can offer incomplete safety.