Does Creatine Really Work?

Does creatine really work? A great question and one that I get asked quite often as a NYC personal trainer and natural bodybuilder. Creatine is a naturally occurring acid that helps supply energy to muscle and nerve cells, and we get most of it from alimentary sources such as fresh fish and meats. Creatine is often taken by athletes as a supplement for those wishing to gain muscle mass (bodybuilding). There are a number of forms but the most common one being creatine monohydrate. While there are some verifiable scientific evidence that taking creatine supplements can marginally increase athletic performance when engaged in high intensity anaerobic repetitive cycling sprints, the studies in swimmers and runners have been less than promising.

Ingesting creatine can bring about weight gain from the increased water retention inside of muscle cells, and for someone interested in increasing their overall size, this may seem desirable. However it does make you bloated, and if shaping up and getting into really great shape is what you are trying to do, you can, in words of one of my coaches a couple years ago, get as bloated from drinking too much salty water.

Creatine use can also cause dehydration if fluid supplies are inadequate, which can lead to serious cramps and gastrointestinal upset. Many of the products on the market use sugars to increase creatine absorption, and nausea and diarrhea are very real side effects for large numbers of people, along with the of course inevitable health consequences from ingesting a simple sugar in an unnatural form (see my article good carbs vs bad carbs), and I say this from experience working with athletes using the product.

The jury is still out on whether it actually helps increase overall muscle mass, but from personal experience I would say that the water retention alone is not worth the very small muscle gain that it might bring about indirectly from helping you get a rep or two extra at the gym,especially if the product contains simple sugars to increase absorption. If you are trying to look your best, why would you want to take a substance that is going to make you look like you are in the middle of a menstrual cycle? It has no effect on fat loss whatsoever and is another supplement that bodybuilders and fitness models stay away from when they really want to look their best. You probably should as well.

Information contained in this article is not meant to treat, diagnose illness, nor substitute for medical counsel and is intended for purposes of information and education only. Consult your physician before modifying your diet or starting any exercise program. Copyright 2009 by Kevin Richardson, NYC Personal Trainer & Founder of the Naturally Intense System of Diet & Exercise™

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