If, about 5 years ago,you were to tell an athlete there was a supplement (which was not an anabolicsteroid or other bodybuilding drug) that would help bodybuilders and athletespack on as much as 10 rock-hard pounds of muscular bodyweight (which could leadto better performance for athletes) in less then 2 weeks; increase their benchpress by 25 lbs. (which also would help in enhancing performance) in a mere 10days; “get a pump like you were loaded on Dianabol”(Phillips 48) (apump that last for hours and hours which helps in muscle development); and, allthe while, help you run faster, jump higher, recover from exercise more quickly,they would probably tell you to get lost. Well all these facts and more have nowbeen proven to be effective on athletes.
“Creatine is the safest, mosteffective supplement out on the market today,” says Ron Terjung, aphysiology professor at the University of Missouri. Millions of men are buyingthe dietary supplement, hoping it is the magic pill that can transform them fromscrawny to brawny. Creatine has made a strong impact on the athletic worldgiving many an edge on the competition and enhancing athletic performance. Thediscovery of Creatine leads back to 1832. A French scientist named Chevreul,identified a naturally occurring organic compound in meat and then was laterfound to be manufactured by the liver, kidneys and pancreas using three aminoacids.
The scientist named the compound Creatine after the greek word forflesh(Phillips 8). Creatine is a compound that is naturally made in our bodiesto supply energy to our muscles. It is an energy rich metabolite that is foundmainly in muscle tissue. It is responsible for supplying the muscle with energyduring exercise. Chemically, it is called Methylguanido-acid.
Creatine is formedfrom the three amino acids, argentine, methionine, and glycogen that undergo achemical process to form Creatine. Creatine is manufactured in the liver and maybe produced in the pancreas and kidneys. It is transported through the blood andtaken up by muscle cell, where it is converted into Creatine phosphate; alsocalled phosphocreatine. This reaction involves the enzyme Creatine kinase thathelps bond Creatine to a high-energy phosphate group. Once Creatine is bound toa phosphate group, it is permanently stored in a cell as phosphocreatine untilit is used to produce chemical energy called Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). ATPthen loses a phosphate group and becomes Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP).
Creatine,when present in the muscle in sufficient amounts donates a phosphate group toADP and it rapidly retransform to ATP, which is immediately available to themuscle to be used for a fuel for exercise. During brief explosive-typeexercises, the energy supplied to rephosphorylate adenosine diphosphate (ADP) toadenosine triphosphate (ATP) is determined largely by the amount ofphosphocreatine stored in the muscle. As phosphocreatine stores become depleted,performance is likely to rapidly deteriorate, due to the inability toresynthesize ATP at the rate required. “Since the availability ofphosphocreatine stores in the muscle may significantly influence the amount ofenergy generated during brief periods of high intensity exercise, it has beenhypothesized that increasing muscle creatine through creatine supplementationmay increase the availability of phosphocreatine and allow for an acceleratedrate of resynthesis of ATP during and following high intensity, short durationexercises(Kreider 1). ” ATP is the primary source of fuel for muscularexercise. It is used before sugars (carbohydrates) and before fats.
When musclesare used to lift weight, run or perform any type of work the ATP is broken downto ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and energy is released. The amount of ATP storedin the muscles will only fuel a maximum effort such as lifting a weight for 10to 15 seconds. After that, the muscle must rely on Creatine Phosphate to restockits supply of ATP. Increasing the muscles supply of Creatine phosphate helpsincrease the rate in which the body can supply ATP. This increases the musclecapacity to do work and improves the energy level of the muscles. Typically, theaverage person metabolizes about two grams of Creatine per day, and the bodynormally synthesizes that same amount; thus, you generally maintain a Creatinebalance (Bamberger 59), but “it is not uncommon for an athlete to have whatis called Creatine deficiency.
“(Phillips 15) which is not being able tocreate enough Creatine on your own. In these cases through a more balanced dietor by supplementing Creatine in their diet they regain the balance. This leadsto a point that proves in one way how Creatine has an advantage on enhancingathlete’s performance. Creatine is naturally found in foods.
For example, theaverage helping of beef or fish contains about 1 gram of naturally occurringCreatine. Unfortunately, Creatine is very sensitive to heat and cookingvirtually destroys the effectiveness of Creatine. The amount of Creatine neededdepends on the athlete’s body weight and on the number of days Creatine has beensupplemented. Creatine should be loaded in relatively high amounts for the firstsix days of supplementation and then may be taken in daily dosage whilemaintaining positive performance. Creatine can bind water to the muscle givingan athlete a more muscular appearance.
Competitive bodybuilders usually dropCreatine supplementation two weeks prior to a show to insure maximum definitionand vascularity. Creatine has not yet been definitely linked to any adversehealth effects, and thus has very few side effects. One side effect usuallycaused by over-dosage which some have complained about is stomach cramps. Reducing the intake of creatine in almost all cases has reduced cramps to littleor none. Although no adverse side effects have been reported in the literaturefrom clinical trials, concern has been raised by some physicians, athletictrainers, and dieticians regarding: 1. ) a possible suppression of endogenouscreatine synthesis; 2.
) a possible enhanced renal stress/liver damage; 3. )anecdotal reports of muscle cramping when exercising in the heat; 4. ) anecdotalreports of muscle strains/pulls; and, 5. ) unknown long-term effects of creatinesupplementation(Kreider 2-3). There are three theories today which answer thequestion, “How do dietary supplements work?”(Phillips 13) The firsttheory is when you have an adequate amount of a substance that your bodyneeds. Take Creatine for example, “a human body normally only needs twograms a day.
” That is the adequate amount or the minimum your body needs tostay healthy, but lets say you stored five grams of Creatine, which is themaximum your muscles could hold to give you a more optimal amount. The reasonwhy an athlete would need more Creatine is that they exert more physicalactivity and burn more ATP than a standard person would. This makes him consumemore body resources than the average person. So, adding more Creatine to yourdiet would give you better results. The second theory states that “not allbut most supplements have a mutating effect (Phillips 15).
” 1. ) “Byvolumizing your cells to hold more resources then normal(15). ” 2. )”Create a drug like effect on cellular processes(15). ” With thisscenario, the dietary supplement can exert a positive effect on musclemetabolism and/or performance.
The third theory and most important relating tomy paper states that a supplement might help you build muscle, enhance athleteperformance and improve your health by simply making up for the deficiency. Thishas basically been what most dieticians, nutritionists, doctors, etc. haveviewed supplements as a means of protecting your body against vitamin andmineral deficiencies and so on. Supplements have been widely used for decades asa means of preventing serious, even fatal diseases, which are caused by nutrientdeficiencies. Thus, proving my topic by adding more Creatine to the bodies of anathlete can enhance performance by replenishing the body with the most neededresources.
It is rumored that athletes in the former USSR and Bulgaria may havebeen using Creatine to enhance athletic performance since the early 1970’s. While this may be true, the documented use of Creatine supplementation byathletes was with British track and field competitors who competed in the 1992Olympics in Barcelona. Creatine was given credit for powering several of theBritish athletes who won gold medals. The London Times reported (August 7, 1992)that Linford Christie, the 100meter gold medallist, supplemented with Creatinebefore the 1992 Olympics, and a European magazine called Bodybuilding Monthlyreported that Sally Gunnele, the 400 meter gold medallist, also used Creatine. The London Times also reported that Colin Jackson, the champion British110-meter hurdler, used Creatine before the Olympics (Bamberger 61). Shortlythereafter, U.
S. champion athletes began using Creatine. Since then, scientistshave elucidated more secrets on how to best utilize Creatine for optimalbenefit. Now, champion athletes and bodybuilders around the world swear byCreatine’s effects. Now in the 90’s Creatine has major use in all sportcategories, “At least one quarter of all major leaguers now use thesubstance. That number is at least as high in professional hockey andbasketball, and perhaps 50% of NFL Players take Creatine.
Among OlympicSprinters, cyclists and weightlifters, those who do not use Creatine are harderto find than those who do. Bodybuilders live on the stuff. Boxers, too. Innumerable ordinary weekend athletes use it.
It’s everywhere (Bamberger62). ” When I was a sophomore in high school, I was first introduced to thismiracle drug called “creatine. ” Many of the guys on the football teamwere taking this, and soon did I. I did not really know what this white powderysubstance was, but all I know is that it seemed to jump my weight up 10 poundswithin about three weeks.
My weightlifting max’s seemed to be increasing and Iwas full of energy. Some of us would “load” just before a footballgame to give us that extra boost of energy. To us, it seemed like legal steroidswith no side effects. Creatine seemed to improve performance for short-durationactivities like our 40 times, bursting off the snap of the ball, and ourweightlifting max’s. What I found was in order to make creatine effective, youmust work out at least three times a week consistently. Most people do notnotice any difference until about three weeks into the cycle.
A recent studyfollowed 19 men who lifted weights regularly over 12 weeks. Those takingcreatine registered an average 6. 3 percent gain in fat-free body mass, comparedwith a 3. 1 percent gain in those not taking the supplement(Timberline 1). In1981, an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine by Dr.
l. Silila. Reported that supplementation with Creatine in a group of patientssuffering from a condition called Gyrate Atrophy (a genetic ailment of the eyescaused by a metabolic inability to efficiently metabolize ornithine andsynthesize Creatine). Improved the test subject’s strength, increased theirbodyweight by ten percent, and partially reversed the Type II muscle fiberatrophy associated with this disease(Silila 867). One athlete in this group oftest subjects improved his best time in the 100-meter sprint by two seconds.
In1993, a study peer reviewed and published in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine,Science and sports (Balsom 143) demonstrated that Creatine supplementation couldsignificantly increase body mass (in only one week) and that it was responsiblefor improved performance in high-intensity intermittent exercise. Over the past4 years, at least 20 separate university studies have demonstrated that Creatinemonohydrate supplementation increases athletic performance; strength;recuperation; speed in the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter sprints. A lot of factual,scientifically proven data shows Creatine monohydrate works. It produces fastand significant results even in the most rigorous trials(Casey 31). The goal ofthe bodybuilder and most athletes is to use progressive resistance exercise toforce the muscles to adapt and grow in size and strength.
This increasedworkload or progressive resistance can be achieved in several ways: byincreasing the force of contraction through increased resistance such as whenlifting a heavier weight, by increasing the duration of time that the muscle isunder tension or contracted, and by increasing the frequency of exercise. Creatine helps in all three ways: it helps build lean body mass which allowsstill greater force to be used; provides energy so the duration of exercise orwork can be lengthened; and speeds recovery, so exercise frequency can beincreased. I have also personally benefited from the use of Creatine. I havebenefited from all of the above, but have also gained more personal respect andconfidence for myself from the results I have accomplished with the use ofCreatine. BibliographyBalsom, P. “Creatine Supplementation and Dynamic High-IntensityIntermittent Exercise.
” Scandinavian Journal of Medicine, Science andsports 3 (1993): 143-149. Bamberger, Michael. “The Magic Potion. “Sports Illustrated 4 (1998): 58-61. Casey, A.
“Creatine SupplementationFavorably Affects Performance and Muscle Metabolism During Maximal IntensityExercise in Human. ” American Journal of Physiology 271 (1996): 31-37. Creatine. Available online. Address. http://www.
vitamin-planet. com/nutrition/creatine. htmCreatine Monohydrate Frequently Asked Questions. Available online. Address. http://www.
rnlist. utl. pt/~rmlbgs/atpfaq. tex Phillips, Bill.
Sports SupplementsReview. Golden, Colorado: Mile High Publishing, 1996 Kreider, B. Richard. “CreatineSupplementation. ” (Internet) http://www. afpafitness.
com/Creatine3. htmlSilila, I. “Supplementary Creatine as a Treatment for Gyrate Atrophy of theChoroid and Retina. ” New England journal of Medicine 304 (1981):867-870.
(Internet) Timberline, David. “Muscles for Sale: Is Creatine Rightfor You?” (Internet) http://www. accenthealth. com/mh/intheknow/1999/creatine. htmlWhat is the Deal with Creatine? Available online.
Address. http://www.powersupplement.com/creatine.htmHealth Care
