The discovery of creatine, also known as phosphocreatine, was reported by Grace and Philip Eggleton of the University of Cambridge and separately by Cyrus Fiske and Yellapragada Subbarow of Harvard Medical School in 1927.  Later in the 1992 Olympics, the 100 meters’ athlete Linford Christie won a Gold medal and revealed that he’d been using creatine. Suddenly athletes everywhere wanted to use this product to develop strength and endurance for competition.  Creatine is a natural substance found in muscle tissue and is part of your body’s amazing system for utilizing energy. Exactly how creatine functions within muscles are still being studied, but primarily it works to convert energy in muscles for strength and movement. Creatine was first used by professional athletes but now is used by people from all walks of life for a variety of reasons. 

Creatine is formed of three amino acids: L-arginine, glycine, and L-methionine. It makes up about one percent of the total volume of human blood. Around 95 percent of creatine in the human body is stored in skeletal muscle, and five percent is in the brain.  Next, to the protein itself, creatine is popular for muscle-building supplements. Creatine helps produce extra energy that your muscle tissue uses to work harder, for longer. Opinions vary on the value of adding creatine to a diet already rich in protein sources, but some studies say extra creatine can significantly enhance lean body mass, increase strength, and increase muscle size.  The amount of creatine added into the diet is important, and you don’t want to overdo the dose, but most experts agree that small amounts are safe. Many athletes include creatine as part of their health and fitness plan in training because the product has been shown to be effective in recovery, improving the physiological response to strenuous exercise.

Creatine can be purchased in a variety of ways including creatine powder, tablets, energy bars, and in drink mixes either ready-to-drink or mixed with other beverages like juices. All of these forms of creatine used to be only found in places like fitness centers and body-building gyms, but today they can be found in pharmacies, grocery stores, specialty shops, and online.  Although creatine is found naturally in the human body, it has not been around long enough to have been studied long-term. Scientists are still studying how supplemental creatine works in the body and are looking for answers about the effects it might have on the body in the long run.

How does creatine work?

About 95 percent of your body’s creatine is stored in your muscles, in the form of a substance known as phosphocreatine. The other 5 percent of creatine is stored in the brain, kidneys, and liver.  When you add creatine supplements to your diet, you increase your stores of phosphocreatine. This is a form of stored energy in the cells that help your body produce more of a high-energy molecule called ATP. ATP is often called the body’s energy currency. When you have more ATP, your body can perform better during exercise.

Can you get creatine from foods?

Yes, you can. Creatine is found in many foods, but primarily in meat and fish. Your body converts creatine to creatine phosphate or phosphocreatine and stores it in muscle tissues, where it serves as a fuel. 

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One of the best natural sources for creatine is in the muscles of wild animals, perhaps because they are constantly on the move, being parts of the food chain, and are always either chasing something to eat or being chased by something that wants to eat it. This lifestyle builds muscle mass naturally and may contribute to what people call “game taste” when these animals are harvested for food. This game meat includes everything from deer and moose to rabbits and wild turkey, the taste of wild game is different from the animals commercially grown for food.

Creatine is found in domestic meat, but the concentration of creatine is going to be higher among animals that develop muscle mass by movement, such as beef cattle that are part of rotational grazing. These free-range meats (whether it’s beef or pork or chicken) is likely to offer a richer source of creatine than found in animals that spend a move of their lives in confinement before being harvested. Living in a small space, these domestic animals don’t develop the same muscles as animals in motion throughout the day.

Fish living in the wild are also animals on the move throughout their lives. Fish provides another natural source of creatine. On average a 3-ounce cooked serving of fish contains 1 to 2 grams of creatine. As with meat, the amount may be more or less, depending on the quality of the fish. Farm-raised fish live differently than wild fish. Typically farm-raised fish don’t move much throughout their lives and don’t develop the strength gained from constantly swimming away from predators.  When someone is interested in adding creatine to the diet, these natural food sources are excellent. The problem is that most people don’t want to take the time to prepare and eat such foods. Certainly, not everyone is a hunter and most people don’t have time to go out and look for venison after a day of working at the office. Even with the convenience of being able to purchase lean cuts of grass-fed beef or free-range chicken or pork, such food takes time to digest. Most people don’t want to eat right after a workout, and the supplement is easy to mix into a beverage or ingest in an energy bar.

How and when to take creatine

When deciding on what form of creatine to use, there are many choices in the marketplace today. Creatine is sold under a number of different names, including Creatine Monohydrate, Ethyl Ester, Serum, Gluconate, Nitrate, Citrate, and Malate. Depending on the type of creatine you choose, the dose will vary. Make sure that you consult with your healthcare professional before beginning any health or fitness plan. Tell your doctor that you plan on taking creatine, and make sure it is noted in your medical records.  Most fitness experts still recommend spreading out doses of creatine throughout the day. Some recommend an extra dose at the beginning, sometimes known as “loading up,” to saturate the muscles with creatine until a full level is reached. Then maintenance doses are taken, typically with meals.  Other sources suggest doses before and after a workout. The dose is taken before the workout is designed to help give muscles the strength they need to perform at optimum. Then, the dose that will be taken following the workout is designed to help muscles recover faster, making the body ready for the next workout without needing too much time to rest.

Are there any side effects?

The International Society of Sports Nutrition has gone on record stating that the use of creatine as a nutritional supplement within established guidelines is safe, effective, and ethical. That being said, the key here is that the supplements must be taken according to the manufacturer’s directions. After the body has already become saturated with creatine there is no value in taking more.

Some people have reported a number of side effects, and these possible adverse reactions should be considered when using creatine. The most common side effect from the regular use of creatine is digestive distress. Sometimes this occurs when creatine is taken in a hurry or on an empty stomach. As with any type of food or medication, your body needs time to process what you are giving it in the form of a powder or beverage or energy bar. Take your time drinking or eating your creatine and don’t gulp it down. This will minimize the possibility of having stomach or intestinal disorders from ingesting the creatine. Spacing out doses throughout the day and taking creatine with meals may also help your body to adjust to a maintenance dose of creatine.

Another reported side effect is weight gain. For some, this is not a negative at all since they were hoping to build up muscle mass in the first place. Athletes who don’t want to gain too much weight (marathon runners, etc.) while taking creatine will need to experiment a little bit with how much to take for their maintenance dose.

Others have reported water retention and allergic reactions to creatine, but this likely has to do more with the type of creatine they are using and the quality of the product. Some cheaper products in the marketplace may look like a bargain, but they are not. Some of these inexpensive versions may even have a number of filler products added to them to make the powder or beverage taste better, but they could contain added sugar and other unwanted ingredients. Make sure to read the label on every product you buy. It also helps to ask others who are seeking the same results that you are what their experience has been in using the product.

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Other uses for creatine

Although the use of creatine has been focused primarily among professional athletes and fitness-minded individuals, there is an increasing number of medical uses for creatine that are being discovered and studied.  People recovering from surgery often have the struggle to move and exercise as part of the healing process. Some studies suggest that creatine may be able to help people recover faster, especially among patients recovering from heart problems. Congestive heart failure results when the heart can no longer pump enough blood to sustain normal activities. People with this condition usually become tired and short of breath during exercise and the muscles are strained. Some studies have found that creatine may improve the way people with congestive heart failure deal with the stress of exercise, and ultimately help them heal faster by making movement and exercise easier.

The use of creatine as a way to reduce cholesterol is also being studied. Preliminary evidence from at least one study suggests that several weeks of 5 grams per day of creatine may help lower cholesterol, LDL (the so-called bad cholesterol) and triglyceride levels in some people. The way this works is difficult to determine since the creatine is included as part of an overall health and fitness program and not as an isolated supplement. Even so, it is likely that creatine helps with movement and exercise in the same way that it does for heart patients. It is thought that any type of muscle disorder could possibility (potentially) benefit from creatine therapy. Muscular dystrophy actually refers to a family of related syndromes characterized by a progressive degeneration and weakness of muscle. Some studies have found that creatine can improve strength in people afflicted with some forms of muscular dystrophy.

According to the National Library of Medicine, a dozen pertinent articles and case reports have been identified relating creatine to kidney problems.  Although creatine supplementation appears safe when used by healthy adults at recommended doses, problems have occurred among people who already had a history of kidney problems. Creatine is processed in the kidneys and liver, so it is possible that the creatine in these cases added challenges to the body.

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The National Library of Medicine article said, “In people with a history of renal disease or those taking nephrotoxic medications, creatine may be associated with an increased risk of renal dysfunction.” 

One case report of acute renal failure was reported in a 20-year-old man taking 20 grams a day of creatine for a period of four weeks.  These problems relating to the use of creatine are likely linked to improper use of the product as well as the use of the product by persons who already had a medical history indicating that they should avoid creatine as a supplement.  So make sure that you consult with your physician before using any creatine product. Your healthcare professional who knows your medical history can advise you on whether creatine is right for you.

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