Supplementary funds
Among users there are different opinions as to whether the creatine cure is best carried out with powder dissolved in water or juice. The advantage of water is its better function as a transport fluid and the relief of the kidneys.However, new studies show that creatine does not cause any extraordinary risk to the kidneys, but on the contrary, it has been shown to improve kidney function in some test subjects. The advantage of taking creatine with grape juice or glucose is that the insulin level rises at the same time and the creatine is thus channelled into the muscle cell even faster.
The glycemic index is important when choosing the juice. This indicates how much food containing carbohydrates affects the blood sugar level. The higher the so-called “glyx”, the more the blood sugar level rises.
The glycemic index is particularly high for glucose in grape juice and should therefore be preferred to apple juice, for example. However, some athletes only consume water before training, as highly glycemic and carbohydrate-rich substances impair performance during training and also inhibit the release of growth hormones and thus the build-up of muscle mass. Overall, it depends on the training focus: for muscle building, the creatine regimen should be supplemented with carbohydrates, for body fat reduction, carbohydrates should be avoided.
Since more protein can be utilized during the creatine regimen, supplementation with a protein powder is also useful. As a guideline, approx. 2g protein per kg body weight is recommended. In addition, the creatine treatment can also be supplemented with glutamine, BCAA or taurine.
The chemistry behind creatine
Creatine as an intermediate product of the intermediate metabolism is formed in the liver and kidney from the amino acids arginine and glycine, resulting in guanidinoacetic acid and methylation of methionine to creatine. The body is thus capable of its own synthesis, so that only a part of it has to be supplied from outside via the diet. Especially in meat and fish creatine is present.
One assumes a creatine content of about 0.5 g creatine in 100 g meat or fish. Creatine ingested with food is first absorbed in the small intestine and then introduced into the bloodstream. In this way, creatine reaches the muscles, the heart and other organs.
Finally, it is excreted from the body via the kidneys. The creatine stores in our body can absorb and store up to 130 grams of creatine. About 90 – 95% of this is stored in the muscle cells of the skeletal muscles.
However, the stores in the muscle cells are very small, so that during a sprint the energy supply can run over creatine for a maximum of five seconds. The body must then switch to energy production by anaerobic means in order to maintain performance. A person weighing about 70 kg needs between 0.2 and 0.3 g per day and kilo.
Assuming that the body can synthesize about half of this amount itself, the rest must be supplied by food. In training phases about 2/3 of the creatine is converted to creatine phosphate. This creatine phosphate is formed in the muscles as a coupling of creatine with phosphoric acid and is considered a high-energy compound from which the so-called ATP, an energy store, can be regenerated.
This is done by transferring the phosphate group to adenosine diphosphate (ADP), which ultimately produces adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This chemical reaction is made possible by an enzyme, creatine kinase. Especially creatine, which is supplied to the body in about 20% increased amounts, can be stored in the muscles as creatine phosphate, which explains the possibility of an energy reserve.
Creatine phosphate is therefore a quickly available chemical energy storage, which is becoming increasingly important, especially during periods of high sporting stress. Creatine is an important energy buffer for the body, which is available in emergencies and therefore directly available when energy is needed. Creatine monohydrate is always needed in the body where energy needs to be provided quickly, i.e. primarily in the muscles.
Creatine monohydrate became known because professional bodybuilders and strength athletes have reduced their successes only to this product. However, one should be aware that other factors play at least as important a role. The effect of this substance can be different for different users.
Also e.g. meat consumption, calorie intake and genetics play a role in the mode of action. Creatine monohydrate, as a dietary supplement, can increase creatine stores and thus bring about an increase in strength of up to twenty percent. Studies have shown that creatine can also be an important supplement for endurance athletes.It provides for an additional storage of carbohydrates in the cells.
In combination with strength training, the body fat percentage can be permanently reduced and muscle mass can be built up. However, research on creatine monohydrate goes beyond the usual effects. The effects on the body are being widely investigated and studies have already been able to uncover further positive effects.
A positive effect could be proven for cardiac arrhythmia after a heart attack. But also in the mineralization of bones and cartilage, protective effect on brain and nerve cells, in muscle patients, in mental fatigue, in convalescence, before planned orthopedic surgery, in AIDS, cancer and ALS and generally to prolong life, positive effects have been discovered. Therefore, creatine seems to be almost considered a miracle cure or panacea.
However, many aspects of the effects of creatine monohydrate still need to be researched. The results so far suggest that monohydrate can be an important support in a wide variety of diseases. In addition to the many positive aspects of creatine monohydrate, there are also side effects and health hazards that are repeatedly mentioned.
A weight gain of one to two kilos must be accepted due to water retention. Who does not drink enough, runs the risk of dehydration. This can be followed by headaches, which can be easily treated. Creatine monohydrate can cause cramps in the so-called loading phase, because creatine monohydrate is known as a magnesium predator. In addition, stomach problems can occur, but these do not have any dangerous effects.
