Creatine
Creatine
Creatine monohydrate / N-amidinosarcosine
One of the most extensively researched sports nutrition compounds. Creatine supports high-intensity physical performance, muscle function and energy production, with growing research into brain health.
What is creatine?
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound your body makes from the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. It is produced mainly in your liver, kidneys and pancreas.
You also obtain creatine from foods such as meat and fish. Vegetarians and vegans generally have lower creatine stores because they consume fewer dietary sources.
Most of your creatine is stored in skeletal muscle as phosphocreatine. This provides a rapidly available energy reserve for regenerating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during short bursts of intense physical activity.
Creatine is widely associated with sport and exercise, but research now covers several other areas. These include brain energy metabolism, healthy ageing and creatine deficiency conditions.
Strength, power, and exercise performance
Creatine supplementation is best known for supporting performance during short, high-intensity exercise. This type of activity relies heavily on the phosphocreatine energy system.
Increasing your muscle creatine stores can support greater power output and more repetitions during resistance training. It may also support recovery between repeated sprints or high-intensity efforts.
These effects can benefit activities such as weightlifting, sprinting, jumping and team sports involving repeated bursts of effort. Creatine monohydrate is the most extensively researched form and is generally considered the standard choice for supplementation.
Other forms, including creatine ethyl ester and buffered creatine, have been developed as alternatives. However, research has not established clear performance advantages over creatine monohydrate.
Muscle mass and recovery
Creatine can support muscle development by allowing you to train with greater volume and intensity over time. This can contribute to greater gains in lean muscle mass.
Some initial weight gain reflects increased water content within your muscle cells. Longer-term increases in muscle size and strength reflect adaptations to training.
Research has also explored creatine for supporting muscle mass and strength in older adults. Studies have also examined its potential role in recovery following muscle-damaging exercise.
These effects make creatine relevant to athletes and anyone looking to maintain muscle mass and physical function as they age.
Cognitive energy and broader health
Your brain relies on a constant supply of ATP for energy, just like your muscles. Research suggests creatine may support cognitive function when your brain is under greater energy demands.
Studies have explored creatine for memory and processing speed, particularly during sleep deprivation and mental fatigue. Some research has also reported greater effects among vegetarians and vegans, who typically consume little dietary creatine.
Creatine monohydrate is the most extensively researched form. A daily intake of 3 to 5g is commonly used, with or without an initial loading phase.
Creatine is generally well tolerated by healthy adults when used as directed. If you have a kidney condition, speak with your healthcare professional before taking creatine.
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