Can Creatine Supplements Help Build Muscle?

Creatine was first identified by researchers in 1932 but its muscle building powers weren’t realized until almost one hundred years later. The first know case of using creatine as a muscle performance enhancing supplement was in Barcelona in 1992 during the summer Olympic games.

Creatine is created naturally in the body by the kidneys and the liver and is also taken into the body via diet, mostly through red meat. An amino acid, creatine is used by muscle tissue in the formation of adenosine triphosphate, which is the energy source used by muscles for contraction.

Once ingested, creatine is transformed into phosphocreatine – a storage mechanism for quick bursts of energy. The nervous system and the voluntary muscles rely on phosphocreatine when large bursts of energy are needed by activities such as sprinting or lifting weights.

When the body has more creatine, it can create more phosphocreatine and can therefore have more energy available for activities like sprinting or lifting weights when quick bursts are needed. It is not so much of a help in endurance contests where quick bursts of energy are not needed but it can increase the size of the muscles mostly due to water retention.

Studies performed at the Cornell University Medical Center and at the McMaster University Medical Center found that creatine can cause an increase in strength in patients with a wide variety of muscular disorders and can be of help in extending the lives of those with the neural disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Athletes generally start off with 20 grams of creatine a day for a week, then continue with a smaller dose of 2 to 5 grams of creatine each day after that. Very few adverse side effects are generally reported with dehydration being the most common.

Long term studies of taking creatine show that diarrhea was the most common adverse effect with muscle cramping reported in a small number of athletes. Serious damage to kidneys, liver or circulatory systems was not reported. Taking creatine as a muscle performance enhancing supplement has been proven safe and effective.

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