By: Evan Waters

Creatine is one of the most talked about and most controversial supplements of the past decade. Use of creatine has become widespread in men, women, teens, and athletes looking for that extra advantage. Some will have you believe that creatine will do nothing but hurt you. To the contrary, some recent studies have proved otherwise and reassert the great value of creatine supplementation.

Creatine Truths And Myths. Learn what the truths and myths of the worlds most popular muscle building supplement, creatine. Find out what works and what doesn't! [ Click here to learn more. ]

Personally, I like to discuss facts. I hate hearing stories about a friend's, father's, cousin's, brother and his experiences. So in this article, I will present plain facts to help quiet the HATERS who are constantly downgrading the effectiveness and safeness of this miracle supplement.

Creatine, The Sports Enhancer

Creatine for some time has been used by athletes to improve performance. It was reported that the Los Angeles Lakers keep tubs of creatine in their locker room. Many collegiate and pro athletes have grown to appreciate the supplement.

First, let's take a look at how creatine affects weightlifting, then how it affects individual aspects of certain sports.

How Creatine Affects Weightlifting

In May 2004, a study was done at the Ohio State University of Columbus, Ohio. They tested the hypothesis that compared a placebo group to a creatine group and how it would demonstrate improvements in the 1 Repetition Maximum (1RM) on the bench press and be able to perform more work at 70% of the 1RM for the bench press.

Thirty-one weight-trained men were randomly assigned in a double-blind manner to a placebo group (maltidextrin) or a creatine group (2.5 g of Cr daily).

Baseline data were collected for the bench press 1RM and maximal work completed during a fatigue set at 70% of the 1RM. Following 10 days of creatine supplementation, follow-up tests were completed for the dependent variables.

	The creatine group has significantly larger increases in work, both absolutely and relatively, when compared with the placebo group.

Instructions:

Enter the amount of weight you lifted and the number of reps you lifted it for (the number of reps must be between 1 and 10 in order for the calculation to work).

Your One Rep Max will appear at the top and all your percentages will appear below it.

This study raises the possibility that a low dose of creatine may be an effective means of enhancing performance after short-term ingestion. Not this is any new news, but it definitely backs up the theory that creatine supplementation help weight lifters significantly.

In a review done in 2004, The University of Connecticut and Bloomsburg University worked together to analyze the data collectively on the combined effects of creatine supplementation and resistance training on muscle strength and weightlifting performance.

The effects of gender, interindividual variability, training status, and possible mechanisms of action were discussed also. Of the 22 studies reviewed, the average increase in muscle strength (1, 3, or 10 repetition maximum [RM]) following creatine supplementation plus resistance training was 8% greater than the average increase in muscle strength following placebo ingestion during resistance training (20 vs. 12%).

Similarly, the average increase in weightlifting performance (maximal repetitions at a given percent of maximal strength) following creatine supplementation plus resistance training was 14% greater than the average increase in weightlifting performance following placebo ingestion during resistance training (26 vs. 12%).

The increase in bench press 1RM ranged from 3 to 45%, and the improvement in weightlifting performance in the bench press ranged from 16 to 43%. Thus there is substantial evidence to indicate that creatine supplementation during resistance training is more effective at increasing muscle strength and weightlifting performance than resistance training alone.

So by now, we pretty much know the effects of creatine on weightlifting. Now we are left to ponder whether it helps sports and/or the attributes of.

Effects Of Creatine On Sports

In February 2004 a study was conducted at a Sports Medicine Institute in Yugoslavia to examine the effects of acute creatine-monohydrate supplementation on soccer-specific performance in young soccer players.

Twenty male soccer players (16.6 +/- 1.9 years) participated in the study and were matched and allocated to 2 randomly assigned trials: ingesting Creatine-monohydrate supplement (3 x 10-g doses) or placebo for 7 days. Before and after the supplementation protocol, each subject underwent a series of soccer-specific skill tests: dribble test, sprint-power test, endurance test, and vertical jump test.

Specific dribble test times improved significantly in the creatine group (13.0 +/- 1.5 vs. 10.2 +/- 1.8 s; p < .05) after supplementation protocol. Sprint-power test times were significantly improved after creatine-monohydrate supplementation (2.7 +/- 0.4 vs. 2.2 +/- 0.5 s; p < .05) as well as vertical jump height (49.2 +/- 5.9 vs. 55.1 +/- 6.3 cm; p < .05) in creatine trial.

Furthermore, dribble and power test times, along with vertical jump height, were superior incCreatine versus placebo trial (p < .05) at post-supplementation performance. This study helps to prove the greatness of the supplement. No extra training was done and yet performance increased.

Soccer may not be the only sport creatine serves benefits for. A study in Turkey proved that short-term high dose oral creatine supplementation has an ergogenic effect on anaerobic capacity of elite wrestlers.

Creatine, Is It Worth the Risk?

So you have read conclusive evidence that supplementing with creatine can and will help you be stronger and faster. "What's the catch?" Ok, ok. I'll give in. Unlike what many websites or people will tell you, there are some side effects of creatine that aren't in your favor. In rare cases, creatine supplementation can cause kidney stones. One may also notice additional gas or bloating.

When I first started supplementing with creatine I experienced bloating for the first week of use, but since then I have felt no ill-effects. Some will also say that creatine can cause muscle cramping; however there is a lack of research that concludes this. Some are concerned with how the heart reacts to supplementation of creatine monohydrate. This has yet to be thoroughly researched.

Effects Of Creatine On Thermoregulation. Let's take a look at one study which considered the effect of creatine supplementation on various physiological parameters related to heat stress. [ Click here to learn more. ]

However, this is just what some say. Others will argue differently. In a three-year study designed to find out whether these creatine side effects really do exist, creatine was found to have no effect on the incidence of injury or cramping in a group of American footballers.

In addition, carefully controlled studies over the short- (five days), medium- (nine weeks) and long-term (up to five years) have yet to demonstrate that creatine supplementation has any adverse effects on blood pressure, kidney or liver function in healthy individuals.

With so much evidence pointing either way, it is the consumer that must take the educated decision.

Conclusion

Creatine's positive effects on weightlifting and sporting activities have long been known and have been re-avowed in recent studies and reviews. It has been shown to have anywhere from slight to marginal effect of performance. However, there is also some posed risk with supplementing with creatine. Still there are studies that prove its safeness without much negative effects.

It should be noted that side effects are rare with creatine. However, it should also be noted that hundreds of people die annually from complications with aspirin and acetaminophen. When all is said and done, it is your choice whether the risk is worth the reward. For me and many other creatine users, the gains outweighed the risks.

Sources

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 311-315.

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Vol. 17, No. 4, pp. 822-831.

Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2004 Feb; 14(1):95-103.

J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2003 Dec; 43(4):488-92

Greenwood, M., Kreider, R.B., Melton, C., Rasmussen, C., Lancaster, S., Cantler, E., Milnor, P., & Almada, A. (2003). Creatine supplementation during college football training does not increase the incidence of cramping or injury. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 244, 83-88

Schilling, B.K., Stone, M.H., Utter, A., Kearney, J.T., Johnson, M., Coglianese, R., Smith, L., O'Bryant, H.S., Fry, A.C., Starks, M., Keith, R., & Stone, M.E. (2001). Creatine supplementation and health variables: a retrospective study. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33, 183-188

Poortmans, J.R., & Francaux, M. (2000). Adverse effects of creatine supplementation: fact or fiction? Sports Medicine, 30, 155-170

Kreider, R.B., Melton, C., Rasmussen, C.J., Greenwood, M., Lancaster, S., Cantler, E.C., Milnor, P., & Almada, A.L. (2003). Long-term creatine supplementation does not significantly affect clinical markers of health in athletes. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 244, 95-104

Mayhew, D.L., Mayhew, J.L., & Ware, J.S. (2002). Effects of long-term creatine supplementation on liver and kidney functions in American college football players. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 12, 453-460

Vannas-Sulonen, K., Sipila, I., Vannas, A., Simell, O., & Rapola, J. (1985). Gyrate atrophy of the chloroid and retina: a five year follow-up of creatine supplementation. Opthalmology, 91, 1719-1727

Rawson, E.S., and J.S. Volek. Effects of Creatine supplementation and resistance training on muscle strength and weightlifting performance http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/creatinesafety.htm.

Evan Waters
waters_ev@msn.com

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