Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation

Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation

Creatine is a metabolite that is produced naturally by the human body. It is found mainly in the red muscle tissue, but it is also present in the heart and brain. Normally, creatine is acquired through regular dietary intake of products such as meat and fish, which are high in protein. However, when dietary intake is low creatine can be produced from natural amino acids such as glycine, arginine, and methionine in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Creatine monohydrate is the synthetic form of creatine (http://creatine-info.com/ - Information on Creatine Monohydrate).

How does creatine work? What is its purpose?

Creatine functions to increase the availability of cellular ATP, adenosine triphosphate. Muscular contractions take place off the presence of ATP and the how quickly it can be regenerated; therefore, an increase in creatine levels is thought to increase the force of muscle contractions (http://www.creatinefacts.com/creatine_monohydrate1.htm). Creatine works by acting on mechanisms of ATP by donating a phosphate ion to increase the availability of ATP. Thus, creatine claims to enhance physical performance by increasing energy and therefore, delaying or minimizing fatigue and adding to the amount of time spent training or working out (http://angelfire.com/co/Creatine/index.html and http://creatine-info.com/ - Information on Creatine Monohydrate).

How much creatine should be taken?

Currently there are no set dosage levels for creatine monohydrate because each person has a maximum level of creatine that cannot be exceeded; therefore, the key to creatine is to benefit from the lowest dosage possible. The most popular dosage regiment has two phases: the loading phase consists of loading the body with creatine to get the levels up. In this phase, 1 heaping teaspoon dose of approximately 5grams is recommended four times daily for one to five days. This is followed by the maintenance phase, which sustains the desired high levels of creatine in the body. The dosage is lowered to 1 teaspoon one to three times a day. The intake of creatine causes the muscle cells to volumize. Basically becoming very hydrated. However, other methods suggest that the loading phase is unnecessary (http://nutrasense.com/nutrasense/creatmon.htm - crdosage). It is also suggested that the most efficient way to maximize low dosages of creatine is to follow the dosage regiment in a cyclical fashion. If creatine levels are allowed to subside and then one takes the supplement, greater results will be seen. In addition, more substantial improvements are likely to be seen in those with a restricted meat diet or those who are vegetarians (http://bodytrends.