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Taking Creatine: This Is Important to Note

Creatine achieves these effects in the human body

In normal everyday life, your body needs about two to four grams of creatine. Half of this amount is formed from endogenous amino acids. The rest gets into your organism via nutritional components such as meat or fish. Are you a vegetarian and do you exercise intensively? Then it makes sense to take creatine as a dietary supplement.

  • It occurs in two different forms in the human body: free creatine (helps muscle contraction) and creatine phosphate (energy supplier).
  • An additional fast source of energy is the so-called ATP (adenosine triphosphate). However, this source of energy is exhausted after only a few seconds of intensive exertion.
  • In such stressful phases, the body is able to produce additional ATP from creatine phosphate for a short time and to react to the increased energy requirement. In order for this system to function properly, an adequate supply of creatine is a mandatory requirement.

The right application ensures the desired effect

The human body can only absorb as much creatine as it actually uses. Therefore, you should adjust the intake amount to the intensity and duration of your physical activity.

  • Creatine is best dissolved in a warm, non-boiling liquid. To ensure that the creatine gets into the muscles as quickly as possible, short-chain carbohydrates are perfect support. These include sugar, glucose, or grape juice. They ensure a short-term increase in insulin production. Insulin, in turn, accelerates the uptake of keratin in the muscles.
  • When stored dry and at room temperature, creatine can be kept for years. Even if it has been proven that long-term intake of creatine is not harmful, nutritionists and sports scientists advocate using creatine as a cure.
  • Such a cure usually provides the following intake amounts: loading phase – up to seven days – 20 grams of creatine daily and maintenance phase – up to four weeks – 3 grams of creatine daily.
  • Not everybody is the same. Occasional indigestion can occur, especially during the loading phase. This can be remedied by extending the loading phase while at the same time reducing the amount of creatine – 10 grams of creatine daily for about ten days.
  • Tip: In order to increase tolerance, spread the amount of creatine over several daily intakes during the loading phase. Favorable times are before or after training and late in the evening.
  • Important: In order for your metabolism to function properly, it is necessary to drink a lot. This not only supports fat burning but also relieves the kidneys. In addition, the creatine should have a high purity of at least 99.5%.

Losing weight with creatine – does it work?

Creatine is generally considered a muscle-building product. It can also be used as part of a weight loss diet. The prerequisite is that you exercise regularly in addition to your diet.

  • However, you won’t see weight loss immediately on your scale. Creatine retains small amounts of water in your muscles. You can only find out how much weight you have actually lost with a creatine cycle once the course has ended.
  • It’s also important to note that some people are genetically low in storing creatine in their muscles. If this is the case for you, increasing creatine intake may not have any effect.
  • Since there is no way to determine in advance whether creatine will help you lose weight, the only way is to try it out.
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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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