Creatine: Skeletal Muscle Supplement
Creatine is a natural element of skeletal muscle. It is a muscle-building supplement that increases muscle mass and body weight, especially when taken in conjunction with exercise. The only reason that creatine may seem like unfamiliar or new, is because a recent boom in scientific research in the area since the early 1990s. In a sense, creatine was rediscovered when world-class athletes became wise enough to utilize creatine in order to enhance their physical performance.
Creatine gives athletes extra power by increasing energy available to the muscles, allowing them to recover more quickly and thus get stronger and faster. Simply speaking, creatine increases muscle energy availability. The cells of our body store their energy in the form of a molecule known as ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate).”In The Basic Health Publications User's Guide to Sports Nutrients, Dave Tuttle explains that ATP re-synthesis lessens the body's use of glycolysis to fuel muscle cells (Klotter).” The amount of work our muscles can perform is a direct consequence of the amount of ATP they have stored, as well as the ease, with which ATP is regenerated. Creatine is produced naturally in human body, in organs such as liver and kidneys. The body, itself, makes creatine from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. It is produced by digesting red meat and fish, the natural resources of creatine. Therefore, in one way or another, creatine is acquired from our diets.
The effects of creatine supplements may not always be beneficial; it also has some side effects as well. Some of the side effects include blood pressure, dehydration, muscle strains, cramps, tears, and Diarrhea. The reason is the transportation of creatine through the body. Creatine is transported to all parts of the body, including the brain. It is transported through the absorption process by blood cells into blood vessels.
There is no full knowledge of how creatine works in the body. “Its long-term effects are unknown and have never been studied, due to it being an unregulated supplement, not a prescription drug (Peyser & Springen,1998).” It is still in argument if creatine is safe to use. According to Dr. Landry, creatine is not dangerous compared to other supplements, such as Steroids. It has minimal risk in contrast to other products on market. On the other hand, Dave Tuttle and Dr. Sahelian suggests, creatine is not helpful for endurance athletes as well as the high dosage leads to bad health side-effects.
In conclusion, many can argue if creatine is a safe. Either one