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Hello and welcome to 3 scoops from Broscience #1, the information based on 30 years of expertise, and a little (a lot) of scientific studies.
Today we're talking about creatine. Stay until the end, I have a little anecdote (funny for you, not for us) to tell you.
Tell me his story
Discovered in 1832 by the French scientist Chevreul (and yes, our French are strong), creatine is today one of the most popular food supplements among strength athletes and bodybuilding enthusiasts.
Why creatine? Because it was discovered in meat, and more specifically the flesh of meat, Kreas in Greek.
Not to be confused with creatinine, which is the waste product of creatine, found in urine.
But what exactly is it?
It is an amino acid derivative, produced naturally in the body thanks to glycine, arginine and methionine. It is found in small quantities in meat (really small), especially red meat.
But if I don't eat meat? How can I get some?
You see where I'm going with this...
Nutrimuscle Creatine……
Creatine as a dietary supplement
No, more seriously, creatine is also found in the form of a food supplement. It is in the majority of cases synthesized using sarcosine and cyanamide.
It comes in several forms. About fifteen to be precise: creatine monohydrate; citrate; phosphate; malate; tartrate… in short, I won’t list them all for you.
The most studied form is monohydrate. It is also the most effective. So don't risk taking liquid creatine or some other hocus-pocus creatine.
Form is good, but if it is not of quality, it is less good: the purity of the raw material is essential.
There are different labels, but only Creapure® is recognized as the creatine expert. It's a bit like Eleiko for pro equipment, or Nutrimuscle for supplements 🙂.
What does it do?
Concretely, what does it do?
If you expect to become like Hulk, you're out of luck... At a pinch, you might end up looking closer to Lou Ferrigno's physique (and even then, that of the latest Marvel films, for those who have the reference 😉.
Creatine increases stores of phosphocreatine, an intracellular energy reserve, and accelerates the rate of ATP synthesis (or Adenosine Triphosphate for geeks).
Basically, it helps bring energy into muscle cells 💪.
Combined with intensive training, it therefore increases muscle strength and muscle gain at the same time. Creatine also attracts water into cells, which can sometimes create water retention. Hello Bibendum! But that's not all! Creatine is also a source of fuel for the brain. Einstein was born shortly after its discovery (I'm just saying). In the United States, some hospitals have even prescribed creatine to patients suffering from neurological disorders, for its protective effect. These Americans are strong!
💧How do you take it?
3 to 5 grams per day, in powder or capsules. Take creatine during a meal, with a glass of water. If you take it in powder form, it will settle at the bottom of the glass. Just mix well and drink instantly. You can also take it with your protein shake.
⌛When is it taken?
Spread your intakes as much as possible throughout the day. For example, take 2 grams with your morning meal and 3 grams with your evening meal. Avoid taking creatine before training, as it can cause mild hypoglycemia (a drop in blood sugar levels). This is annoying when you're training. Creatine “loads” are not useful, which is why we recommend taking it all year round.
🎯Can I take some?
It is even recommended if you want to gain strength and improve your physical performance!
🧠And if you want to take care of your brain, that's fine too. I'd like to repeat it, creatine will not turn you into Hulk or Einstein.
The studies that revolutionized creatine
100 years of studies, that’s a lot, right?
100 years of studies, that's a lot, right? It's probably older than you (dedication to the grandpas and grandmas who read our blog articles). We can even say that creatine has experienced several wars. Basically, it's THE most studied food supplement in the world! Last year alone, there were nearly 2000 studies on creatine. And yet, we still hear absurdities about it.
👨🦲You're gonna lose your hair with this
☠️Be careful, it will destroy your kidneys
💉Stop doping
🍆It will lower your sexual performance
For these various preconceived ideas, no study has demonstrated or validated this. It is even the opposite for some of them, such as the decrease in sexual performance. As for doping, the International Olympic Committee has refused to include creatine on the list of doping products.
But then 🤔, what do the studies show?
A study from 1923 showed that… Okay, a more recent one. In 1956… okay, more recent still, although we shouldn’t demonize old studies. It’s in old pots that we make the best… what’s that expression again?
A study published in 2003 demonstrated that oral creatine monohydrate supplementation significantly increased intelligence compared to a placebo. (1)
A 2013 study highlights the muscle strength gains generated by creatine. (2)
And if you want more interesting studies on creatine, you can find them at the bottom of the page. Or ask Gundill , he has a cupboard full of them!
Tell me an anecdote
I promised you, you did well to stay until the end (you won't be disappointed).
In the 90s, creatine almost ousted us.
In fact, the regulations were not in its favour: it was considered a doping product (this creatine was too strong) and therefore prohibited from sale.
One day, the police visited us at a fitness fair and seized all our pots (we still wonder what they did with them). We even went to court twice!
So there was no choice, we had to find a solution: Belgium
Aahhh Belgium, its fries; its beer… sorry, I digress.
BELGIUM! Here's a country where the regulations were in favor of creatine. Hop, we pack our bags and move. It was the same year that the Blues won the football World Cup. 1998 for the youngest.
Since then, Nutrimuscle has been enjoying happy days and has made creatine its best-seller. And there you have it 🤓🤓!
Bibliography
- Rae C, Digney AL, McEwan SR. Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial. Proc Biol Sci. 2003 Oct 22;270(1529):2147-50.
- Kley RA, Tarnopolsky MA, Vorgerd M. Creatine for treating muscle disorders. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Jun 5;2013(6):CD004760.
Other interesting scientific studies :
Lyoo IK, Kong SW, Sung SM. Multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of high-energy phosphate metabolites in human brain following oral supplementation of creatine-monohydrate. Psychiatry Res. 2003 Jun 30;123(2):87-100.
Schoch RD. The regulation and expression of the creatine transporter: a brief review of creatine supplementation in humans and animals. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2006 Jun 23;3:60-6.
Rawson ES. Low-dose creatine supplementation enhances fatigue resistance in the absence of weight gain. Nutrition. 2011 Apr;27(4):451-5.
Deldicque L, Louis M, Theisen D. Increased IGF mRNA in human skeletal muscle after creatine supplementation. Med Sci Sports Exercise 2005 May;37(5):731-6.
Parise G, Mihic S, MacLennan D. Effects of acute creatine monohydrate supplementation on leucine kinetics and mixed-muscle protein synthesis. J Appl Physiol. 2001 Sep;91(3):1041-7.
Burke DG, Candow DG, Chilibeck PD. Effect of creatine supplementation and resistance-exercise training on muscle insulin-like growth factor in young adults. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2008 Aug;18(4):389-98.
