All About Creatine
Creatine, and specifically creatine monohydrate, is quite possibly the most researched supplement on the market. As a result, most people have at least heard of creatine. And even novice lifters know that creatine can be beneficial for both strength and size. However, for whatever reason there still seem to be more questions than answers about this popular supplement. Who should take creatine? When should you take creatine? How much creatine should you take? These questions and more are answered here.
Creatine is great stuff. It has been shown to improve performance in all types of people. And there appears to be very few (if any) long term side effects from regular creatine usage [1]. But the questions about creatine usage just seem to grow and grow. Here are some of those questions with answers.
Is Creatine Safe?
Creatine monohydrate has been widely used by athletes and fitness enthusiasts of all kinds for over 15 years. And aside from some possible gastric issues, there has been no evidence that calls into question the safety of creatine's regular use [2]. Unlike many other effective sports supplements, creatine has also not been pulled from the shelves by the FDA, which I think also speaks to it's safety record and general acceptance over the past 15+ years.
How Much Creatine Per Day?
5g of creatine monohydrate per day is all that is necessary. 5g of creatine monohydrate per day is also the recommended safe dosage for long-term use [3]. In the 1990's and in the early 2000's most supplement makers used to promote creatine loading. In the loading phase, it was commonly suggested that users should take 2-4 times the normal dosage of creatine for a week or more. It was also commonly suggested that creatine loading should be done periodically (every 1-3months) for an indefinite period of time.
The problems with creatine loading were that (1) you ran out of creatine faster - this was very good for supplement makers, but not so good for the consumers, and (2) many people, including myself, had gastric issues with the excessive creatine intake. In my case, the gastric issues were so bad that I swore off creatine monohydrate for years, that is until I learned to just stick to 5g per day.
Who Can And Should Take Creatine?
A somewhat persistent rumor is that only men can benefit from taking creatine. The thought was that because women naturally have higher creatine levels (and they do) that they cannot benefit from taking creatine as a supplement. Sadly, there has been little research done on a per gender basis. And most of the available research does use male subjects. However, the little research on women and creatine usage that is available looks promising and it seems to suggest that both women and men can benefit from taking creatine regularly [4].
Should You Cycle On And Off Creatine?
No. There is no evidence to suggest that cycling on and off creatine will give you any better results than just taking a normal daily dosage consistently [3].
When Should You Take Creatine?
When creatine first came to market, the thought was that creatine should be taken post-workout with carbohydrates. This is a fine strategy if it fits your schedule. Personally, I take my daily creatine dose with breakfast (usually just prior to my workout). Why? Because it really doesn't seem to matter [5] [6].
What does seem to matter, however, is that creatine is taken with food. I'm not just talking about carbohydrates either. Creatine uptake has been shown to be improved when taken with approximately 100g of combined protein and carbohydrate intake [7]. So, taking creatine with a meal is a pretty good idea. Which meal? Leave that up to personal preference. Since the available research doesn't seem to give a compelling answer one way or the other.
What About Liquid Creatine?
Everyone knows that creatine monohydrate typically comes in powdered form. There is a good reason for this. Creatine breaks down into creatinine in liquid. So, mix it with your favorite drink and then drink it. If you let it sit around in liquid for too long then you're probably not getting the amount of creatine that you think. The same goes for over the counter products. In short, liquid creatine is not a good idea.
What About Other Types of Creatine?
The most widely researched type of creatine is creatine monohydrate. And personally, that's the only one I would recommend. Creatine esters, creatine nitrate, and other types of creatine may have some benefits. But the reality is that there is just not enough research behind them to justify using any of them over creatine monohydrate.
In terms of creatine monohydrate variations... I prefer micronized. It mixes easier and has a less bitter taste. To my knowledge, I don't think there is any difference in effectiveness between micronized creatine monohydrate and non-micronized creatine monohydrate. And I would just assume take something that's easier to get down.
References
[1] Vandenberghe, K., et al. "Long-term creatine intake is beneficial to muscle performance during resistance training." Journal of Applied Physiology 83.6
(1997): 2055-2063.
[2] Demant, T. W., and E. C. Rhodes. "Effects of creatine supplementation on exercise performance." Sports Medicine 28.1 (1999): 49-60.
[3] Shao, Andrew, and John N. Hathcock. "Risk assessment for creatine monohydrate." Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 45.3 (2006): 242-251.
[4] BRENNER, MEGAN, JANET
WALBERG RANKIN, and Don Sebolt. "The effect of creatine supplementation
during resistance training in women." The
Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 14.2 (2000): 207-213.
[5] Ciccone, Victoria,
Kristina Cabrera, and Jose Antonio. "The effects of pre versus post
workout supplementation of creatine monohydrate on body composition
and
strength." Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 10.Suppl 1 (2013): P1.
[6] Cribb, P. J. and Hayes, A. Effects of supplement timing and resistance exercise on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Nov;
38(11):1918-25.
[7] Steenge, G. R., E. J. Simpson, and P. L. Greenhaff. "Protein-and
carbohydrate-induced augmentation of whole body creatine retention in
humans." Journal of
applied physiology 89.3 (2000): 1165-1171.
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