Are there any harmful effects from creatine?

Question

I used to take it but i stopped because i became dehydrated and i had to drink a ridiculous amount of water to stay hydrated during workouts and practice. I want to know the pros and cons...

Answer 1

What is creatine?

Creatine (also known as alpha-methylguanidinoacetic acid) is perhaps the most popular supplement for improving athletic performance and increasing muscle mass. It also has more scientific support for its use than any other non-hormonal performance enhancing supplement on the market. It is popular among all types of athletes, including amateurs and professionals, teenagers and adults, and men and women.

Creatine, which was first identified in 1832, is an amino acid derivative that occurs naturally in the body. It can be found in the brain, eye, kidney, and testes, but over 95% of the creatine in the body is found in skeletal muscle. It can be obtained through dietary sources and also synthesized within the body from the substrate guanidinoacetate via the enzyme S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe). Guanadinoacetate is derived from the amino acids arginine and glycine. This process primarily occurs in the kidney and liver.

Dietary sources high in creatine include herring, salmon, tuna, beef, and other foods. The combination of dietary creatine and creatine synthesized in the body usually results in the consumption/production of two grams of creatine daily, which is approximately the same rate at which creatine is degraded. Although significant quantities of creatine can be consumed through the diet, the amount is still generally small compared to the intake that can be achieved with supplemental creatine.

Since the early 90's, creatine has been extensively studied for the purpose of improving athletic performance, primarily for high-intensity, short-duration exercise (such as weight lifting and sprinting). There is consistent and overwhelming evidence for a benefit. In addition to research evaluating the effectiveness of creatine in improving athletic performance for a wide variety of types of exercise, research has also begun to evaluate possible benefits in treating muscular, neurological, and cardiovascular diseases.

Despite what some people might tell you, there is NO scientfic evidence of creatine ever harming ones kidneys or liver. None, whatsoever. I'm also a new taker of creatine. If you want to take creatine you have to do your research. It's very key to keep hydrated and not to overload or something bad may happen.

How and when should creatine be taken?

Creatine usually comes in powder form. Although capsules are available, they are significantly more expensive and most prefer powder. Creatine can be mixed in most drinks. During loading, it is customary to divide the creatine into 3-4 doses spread throughout the day (3 doses of 10 g or 4 doses of 5 g). During maintenance, 1-2 doses daily (usually of 5 g each) are used. Taking one of the doses pre-exercise on exercise days is recommended. Also, if some meals contain more carbohydrates than others, creatine should be taken with the high carbohydrate meals.

What dosage should be used? Is a loading phase necessary?

"Loading" refers to the practice of taking larger than normal doses for the first few days of supplementation to maximize muscle creatine stores as quickly as possible. This is followed by a maintenance phase, during which a smaller dose is taken daily to maintain the high levels of creatine.

Loading is not necessary, but it is beneficial. In one study, a maintenance dose (3 g/day) took thirty days to maximize creatine stores. On the other hand, a loading dose (20 g/day) maximized muscle creatine levels in only two days. Normal maintenance doses fall in the 3-5 g range (2 g has been found to be insufficient), although some take as much as 10 g, while 20-30 g (usually 20 g) is used for loading. Some sources recommend a loading phase of 6-7 days, but this appears to be unnecessary. Given that stores are maximized after two days of loading, 2-3 days should be sufficient. One study indicated that resistance training athletes can utilize around 50 mg/kg daily of creatine. A maintenance dose of 5-10 g daily is recommended to ensure that enough is being taken. Taking more than this for maintenance is generally a waste of creatine.

  

Answer 2

It can make you irritable.

Answer 3

Pro: It'll make you look bigger.

Cons: You have to drink (as you said) ridiculous amounts of water to stay hydrated; it's expensive; you'll lose all your gains as soon as you stop taking it; when used excessively it can be damaging to your kidneys (especially if you don't drink 100+ ounces of water when you use it).

Answer 4

don't take supplements.

i used to use them and didn't listen to others when they told me this. now i have medical conditions from it..