Does Creatine Supplementation Really Enhance Athletic Performance?

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Does Creatine Supplementation Really Enhance Athletic Performance?

The Purpose of Creatine

In our competitive society, being the best is of utmost importance. Athletic performance is no exception, and athletes are constantly striving to find new ways to train which will help them to become the best. Many supplements promising results have come and gone, but creatine may actually be able to deliver improved athletic performance. Many athletes are currently supplementing their diets with creatine to increase their strength, muscle mass, and weight by providing their bodies with more available energy, thus reaching new heights in athletic performance.

What is Creatine and how does it work

Improving Energy Production

Creatine is a nutrient that is found naturally in the diet as well as the human body. The primary dietary sources of creatine are raw beef and fish, as heating tends to destroy creatine . However, moderate increases in meat consumption are unlikely to increase muscle creatine levels because one must consume approximately 12 pounds of meat per day to achieve the same creatine levels as supplementation. When dietary consumption is inadequate to meet the body's creati.ne needs, it is manufactured in the liver and kidneys from a combination of the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. Creatine is present inside muscles, especially skeletal muscles. In the muscles, creatine. is used to form creatine phosphate (CP), a potent chemical which can indirectly supply the energy our muscles need to contract, especially for quick and explosive movements such as in sports.

All work done in human cells (including contracting muscles) is fueled by the breakdown of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to adenosine...

... middle of paper ...

...ation on power output and fatigue during bicycle ergometry. Journal of Applied Physiology, 78(2), 670-673

Earnest, C.P., Snell, P.B., Rodriguez, ., Almada, A.L. Mitchell, T.L. (1995). The effect of creatine monohydrate ingestion on anaerobic power indices, muscular strength and body composition. Acta Physiologica Scandiavica 153, 207-209.

Febbraio, M.A., Flanagan, T.R., Snow, R.J., Zhao, S. F., Carey, M.F. (1995). Effect of creatine supplementation on intramuscular Tcr metabolism and performance during intermittent, supramaximal exercise in humans. Acta Physiologica Scandiavica, 155, :387-395.

Harris, R.C., Soderlund, K. & Hultman, E. (1992). Elevation of creatine in resting and exercised muscle of normal subjects by creatine supplementation. Clinical Science 83, 367-374.

Sahelian, R. (1997). Creatine: Nature's muscle builder. Let's Live, 65(3), 104

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