An Entry About Creatine

Sorry about the title. I just finished three problem sets in a row and its kind of difficult to be creative right now. At the very beginning of the quarter, Cliff mentioned that his twin brother uses Creatine. I heard about Creatine before, but E25 has sparked my interest into learning more about the supplement and what it does to the user’s body. So, lets dive in!

 

What is Creatine?

Creatine is a substance that is found naturally in humans. It is an amino acid-based compound and stores energy from the already existing amino acids and foods in the body. Some creatine rich foods include fish and red meat. Creatine is stored in our bodies as a compound called phosphocreatine, which further works as a reservoir of phosphate. Phosphocreatine is a substance that stores energy in the muscular tissues and provides energy for the muscular contractions. Phosphate produced from creatine is needed for regenerating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules, which is the main source of energy for enzymes in the muscle during initial high-intensity muscle activity.

During muscle contraction, ATP loses a phosphate molecule to create energy and gets converted to adenosine diphosphate (ADP). We learned in class that ADP is a nucleotide consisting of adenine, ribose sugar, and two phosphate groups. Now that ATP is being depleted, ADP must be converted back to ATP. Creatine speeds up this process. The more creatine is available to the body, the faster the body can produce ATP molecules, so that an increasing amount of energy is available for the muscle contractions. This is how creatine acts as a great energy source for short bursts of exercise such as sprinting, bodybuilding and other athletic activities.

Diagram of Creatine Synthesis

A sufficient amount of creatine also slows the onset of fatigue.  Creatine helps in the synthesis of protein, which further promotes muscle growth and development. 

The fact that creatine can provide energy instantaneously makes it a very successful supplement for athletes and anyone who exercises with weights as they need steady bursts of energy during their workouts.

 

Side Effects?

Creatine supplements are generally considered safe by most medical professionals because there have not been many examples of short-term or long-term side effects associated with creatine use. If properly hydrated, creatine use should work in the user’s advantage. If the user is severely dehydrated, however, the additional water needed in the body's creation of more ATP can cause you to feel faint or dizzy. In addition to water loss, leg pain is a common complaint among creatine users. The leg pain is caused by a buildup of pressure in the muscles.  This accumulated pressure is a result of the retained water in the legs’ muscle fibers.

So, next time Cliff goes with his brother for a workout, he should sure to bring plenty of fluids and pay attention to any complaints about leg pain.