In what form can or should creatine be taken?

The supplement (food supplement) creatine is available in many different forms, for example as creatine powder, creatine capsules or tablets. Whichever form you choose is irrelevant to its effectiveness. What you should pay attention to, however, is the composition of the preparation.

The purer the preparation and the fewer additives, the more effective the preparation is in terms of muscle building and performance enhancement. Experts recommend preparations containing at least 99% pure creatine monohydrate. If other substances are added to the creatine monohydrate, this can influence the effect.

There is a variety of combination preparations, such as creatine citrate (creatine bound to citric acid) or creatine nitrate, which is said to have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. However, this has not yet been scientifically proven. Experts recommend that before buying a preparation, one checks whether it is on the Cologne List.

Only those dietary supplements are listed on this list that have been tested for doping substances and where there is a clearly minimized risk of doping. Creatine is naturally found in the muscles of humans. On average, there are about four grams of creatine per kilogram of muscle mass.

Vegetarians or vegans have significantly less creatine because their diet prevents them from consuming the largest source of creatine, namely meat. According to study results the best results show up, if per day approx. three to five gram high-quality Creatin is taken.

However one should absolutely adhere to the package insert and consult a pharmacist or a physician with doubts. It is important to know that creatine stores are limited. The size of the stores depends on the available muscle mass.

Nevertheless, if more creatine is taken than the body can utilize, the body excretes the excess creatine again. In addition, too high a dose in some people will lead to a dysfunction: The dose should therefore always be kept as low as possible. Therefore, if you already experience improvements with three grams of creatine per day, the dose should not be increased under any circumstances.

In addition, about 20% of the population does not react to creatine intake. One speaks of non-responders.Their creatine stores are already so full due to their diet that the additional creatine intake has no effect whatsoever.

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