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Creatine safety issues: fact or fiction?
After the first article in Life Extension magazine on the many potential medical and anti-aging uses of creatine, I received several letters and many e-mails that basically said "I would like to use creatine for the various reasons stated in the article, but I am worried about its safety." This fear over the safety of creatine was usually generated from some hysterical news report or poorly researched article. It's odd, but predictable that the media and conservative medical establishment have desperately tried to paint creatine as an inherently dangerous or "poorly researched" dietary supplement. The fact is, creatine may be the most extensively researched performance-enhancing supplement of all time, with a somewhat astounding safety record.
True to form, the "don't confuse us with the facts" media and anti-supplement conservative medical groups have had no problems ignoring the extensive safety data on creatine, or simply inventing safety worries where none exists. A perfect example of this was the news report that mentioned the deaths of three high school wrestlers who died after putting on rubber suits and riding a stationary bike in a sauna to lose weight. Amazingly, their deaths were linked to creatine by the media, rather than extreme dehydration! Even more amazingly, on further examination, it was found that two of the three wrestlers were not using creatine!
Creatine has been blamed for all sorts of effects, from muscle cramps to dehydration, to increased injuries in athletes. However, these effects have been looked at extensively by researchers without a single study reporting side effects among several groups taking creatine for various medical reasons over five years.5-8
In some, but not all people, creatine can raise a metabolic byproduct of creatine metabolism known as creatinine. Some people-including some medical professionals who should know better-have mistakenly stated that elevated levels of creatinine could damage the kidneys. Elevated creatinine is often a blood indicator, not a cause, of kidney dysfunction.
That's a very important distinction, and several short- and long-term studies have found creatine supplements have no ill effects on the kidney function of healthy people.9,10 Though it makes sense that people with pre-existing kidney dysfunction should avoid creatine supplements, it is reassuring to know that creatine supplements were found to have no ill effects on the kidney function of animals with pre-existing kidney failure, showing just how non toxic creatine appears to be for the kidneys.11 Bottom line, creatine safety has been extensively researched and is far safer than most over-the-counter (OTC) products, including aspirin.
Conclusion
Though additional research is warranted regarding the pathologies outlined in this article, creatine has a substantial body of research showing it is an effective, safe and worthwhile supplement in a wide range of pathologies and may be the next big find in anti-aging nutrients. Although the dose used in the studies was quite high, recent studies suggest lower doses are just as effective for increasing the overall creatine phosphate pool in the body. The dose of 2 to 3 grams per day appears adequate for healthy people to increase their tissue levels of creatine phosphate.
People with the pathologies mentioned in this article may benefit from higher intakes in the 5 to 10 gram per day range. People interested in more information regarding creatine, in particular the use of creatine and other supplements for athletes, should consider referring to my recent ebook Muscle Building Nutrition for additional information
Creatine Loading and Creatine Use
Proper Creatine Loading and How to Use Creatine
As we've already established in previous articles, creatine is a top notch supplement to help you gain weight; however, to do so effectively, you need to learn about creating loading and creatine use. Also, creatine monohydrate isn't 'cheap', so you'll want to get the most out of your money by putting your creatine to produce maximum results for you. So take a few minutes and read about creatine cycles, creatine uses, and creatine loading and maintenance phases.
Creatine Cycling: Creatine loading-maintenance phases
If you know what creatine is, you've probably heard of creatine cycle, creatine loading phase, and creatine maintenance phase. So what's the big idea? Sure, creatine is great, and can really help you pack on a few good pounds quickly, but most people find that after a few weeks on creatine, their gains taper off, and almost disappear.
So it's a common belief among athletes (mostly bodybuilders) that creatine cycling will help fight off that progressive loss in weight gain from creatine use. The idea is that (just an opinion shared by many), after using creatine for a period of time, your body 'gets used to it', so the gains and results disappear.
What creatine cycling is designed to do is to take creatine for a period of time, then stop for a period of time, then go back on it. The belief here is that, doing so will help you maintain the gains you make with creatine use. Kind of like doing workout cycles - where you always change your routines to prevent your muscles from getting used to the exercises.
How to properly do creatine cycles and phases
So, there are 3 phases in a creatine cycle... well, actually 2, but resting counts as well. The first phase is called the loading phase, because this is when you fill up your muscles with creatine, which is then used for ATP re-synthesis. After the creatine loading phase (first week), you lower the amount of creatine use - this is the maintenance phase.
Here's a typical creatine loading and maintenance cycle:
Week 1: creatine loading phase (20g / day)
Weeks 2 to 4: creatine maintenance phase (10g / day)
Weeks 5 to 8: no creatine
Typically, 4 weeks of cycling is all you need for creatine. It could be different for you, and there are many variation of this cycle, so test it out, and figure out what works best for you..
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During the creatine loading phase, I typically took 4 servings a day. Once before breakfast, once before lunch, once before workout, and once in the evening. Tip: you should take creatine with grape juice or some kind of high GI carb drink. Also taking creatine an hour or two before workout is a good idea, because it takes your body some time to absorb the creatine.
Creatine Side Effects
Effects of Creatine and Side Effect - Are You At Risk?
As far as I know, there's no documented adverse creatine side effects - only desirable side effects of creatine. I'm also speaking from personal experience that I've never experienced any negative or unwanted side effects of creatine.
Extensive experiments have been done to test creatine side effects on humans, and Dr. Paul Balsom - the world leading expert on creatine - stated "to the best of our knowledge, the only documented adverse effect of creatine supplementation is an increase in body mass." Well, I'd say that's something all bodybuilders can live with.
However, be cautioned that there are no long term studies on high dosage effects on creatine use. So its recommended that you follow the instructions on the label and don't over do it.
Long term use of creatine has not shown any adverse side effect on humans. I have used creatine for several years, and have never encountered any 'bad' creatine side affect. As well, no studies have shown creatine to have any adverse side effects on humans.
Common Creatine Side Effects
Okay, so you now know that there's probably no adverse side effect of creatine, but here are some effects of creatine you will notice physically:
You'll feel stronger, more powerful, and will have much more energy and longevity during workouts.
You'll start to notice that your body (muscles) is fuller and bigger - partly due to some water retention (a createin side effect), and mostly gain in muscle mass.
You may find that your muscles are not as 'hard' due to the water retention; however, I did not find this noticeable very much.
When you exercise intensely, you'll find that the 'screeching' pain (due to build up of lactic acid) won't bother you nearly as much! This is discussed in the creatine benefits and creatine monohydrate information articles.
You'll have noticeably more energy and 'bursting' power during workouts - you'll be able to lift slightly heavier weights and feel less fatigue.
Can cause kidney stones in some rare cases
You may notice some gas and bloating
Some concerns lie in the unknown effects of creatine supplementation on the heart, as its also a muscle (this area still lacks research)
Now, keep in mind that creatine side effects will vary from person to person, and this is strictly speaking from my own personal experience with creatine monohydrate. Please DO NOT take this as any medical advice or opinion, and please view our disclaimer regarding terms of use.
Previous studies conducting personal interviews with male/female athletes who have used creatine for longer than 1 year did not reveal any long-term side effects of creatine. However, one short term side effect of creatine noted is that athletes who took more than the recommended amount of creatine experienced diarrhea, however this creatine effect went away after reducing the dosage.
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