Creatine

What is creatine?

Creatine will always be a very popular supplement for improving overall performance for gym goers.

Studies show that creatine increases muscle mass, strength and exercise while providing several other health benefits, such as preventing neurological disease. Some believe that creatine is unsafe and comes with a lot of side effects, however these are not supported by any evidence. It is one of the world’s most tested supplements and has an outstanding safety profile.

Creatine is a substance that is found naturally within muscle cells. It helps the muscles produce and provide energy during high-intensity exercise such as heavy weight lifting or running. There are several factors that can affect creatine’s stores within the body, including the intake of meat, the amount of exercise a person completes and levels of hormones such as testosterone within the body.

Creatine acts as a very rapid, but limited source of energy for very high-intensity muscle contractions and it is thought to work by providing energy rapidly when completing high-intensity movements.

Around 95% of a person’s creatine stores are within muscles in the form of phosphocreatine. The other 5% is found within the brain, kidneys and liver. When you supplement creatine, you increase the stores of phosphocreatine within the muscles. This is in the form of stored energy in cells and will help the body produce more.

What are the benefits of Creatine?

• It enables a user to lift heavier and lift for longer during a training session, improving muscle growth
• It can increase satellite cell signalling, which in turn aids muscle repair and new muscle growth.
• It can increase cell hydration and reduce protein breakdown, resulting in less muscle breakdown.
• Other health benefits include lower blood sugar levels, an improved muscle function and quality of life in those over 50 and improving fatty liver disease.