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What
is Creatine?
Creatine is a nonessential amino acid
that's used by the body to meet muscular demands during
short bursts of high-intensity exercise, such as a sprint.
Since 1992, when the use of creatine by Olympic athletes
was publicized, the supplement's popularity has grown enormously
appealing to both men and women. Creatine use is common
among professional athletes, and it appeals to recreational
athletes, college athletes, and even teens and children.
Creatine supplements are marketed as muscle-building supplements
that will help the consumer train harder and longer.
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Why
Creatine? Creatine Benefits
The benefits of creatine supplementation
relate to the amino acid's involvement in energy-providing
chemical reactions in the body During high-intensity exercise,
muscles obtain energy from a series of reactions involving
adenosine triphosphate (ATP), phosphocreatine (Kr), adenosine
diphosphate (ADP), and creatine. ATP provides energy when
it changes to ADP. To regenerate ATP requires PCr. Creatine
supplements increase the storage of PCr, thus making more
ATP available to fuel the working muscles. Stored PCr can
fuel only the first 10 seconds or so of a sprint or other
similar activity; after that another fuel, such as glucose
(blood sugar), must provide the energy to sustain the activity.
Creatine and Exercise Performance
A good number of studies support the
use of creatine supplementation for enhancing performance
of activities that require short bursts of power and strength,
including weightlifting, sprinting, and rowing. Initial
studies conducted in the mid-1990s indicated that creatine,
taken in the right doses and in conjunction with an exercise
program, can result in a 5 to 10 percent increase in strength
and power.
Daily creatine supplementation (5 grams
per day) increased the intracellular creatine and PCr content
of the quadriceps muscle in 17 participants. In addition,
exercise increased creatine uptake in
the muscle. Other studies have found that higher doses of
creatine (approximately 20 to 25 grams per day) taken for
five days increase the time athletes can exercise before
becoming exhausted. A 12week study of 19 weightlifters
found that those who supplemented with creatine could lift
more weight and had greater increases in muscle-fiber size
and muscle mass than did the placebo group. The researchers
theorized that the creatine let the athletes train harder
(not that the creatine added directly to the muscle mass).
Positive results with creatine have been shown in both men
and women.
Other studies indicate that creatine
is not useful for aerobic activities such as distance running
and cycling. It also doesn't appear to help with running
speed, and may not be helpful in sprint swimming performance.
Creatine and Other Potential Benefits
Research into therapeutic uses of creatine
supplements to help combat muscle losses caused by certain
diseases such as muscular dystrophy and amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease) suggests some gains
in strength can be made. One study of 81 people with various
neurological diseases (including muscular dystrophy) showed
that taking 10 grams of creatine per day for five days,
followed by 5 grams for another week, increased strength
at various body sites, including the ankle, knee, and hand.
Knee strength, for example, increased 11 percent, compared
with just over 2 percent for the placebo. This increase
may be enough to make a real difference in daily activities
and quality of life. However, results are preliminary, and
the studies were conducted with very small populations.
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Where
to Get Enough Creatine? Creatine Supplements
Creatine in Food are mainly animal meat.
There are no vegetables that can provide the creatine for
your body. The foods that naturally contain creatines are:
Beef, Chicken, Pork, Tuna, Cod, Salmon and Herring. However,
as many knows, large amount of meat consumption will lead
to some fatal health problems such as high blood pressure,
high cholesterol, heart conditions etc. Therefore, to obtain
enough creatine, taking high quality Creatine supplement
is a safer choice. Creatine supplements are called "Creatine
Monohydrate". There are basically two forms of Creatine
Monohydrate supplements on the market today: Serum and Powder.
Click here to learn the differences
between Serum and Powder Creatine Monohydrate supplements.
The best brand named powder-like Creatine supplement
is American Creatine from American Sports
Nutrition (ASN). Creatine by ASN will not only assist you
in exercising longer but will also help in quicker restoration
of strength after program sets.
>
Click here for American Creatine
The most recommended Creatine Serum is
ATP Advantage Creatine Serum from MMUSA.
The serum offers creatine monohydrate in stabilized liquid
form. With a two year shelf-life, it will not break down
to waste product creatinine. It also metabolizes faster,
safer and more efficiently than powdered creatines.
>Click
here for ATP Advantage Creatine Serum
You are encouraged to read our other
documents on creatine supplements which includes:
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