The bottom line is,
You do not know if you are buying a product containing good raw material! Was the creatine produced the correct way? No food supplement is checked for authenticity! No supplement manufacturer can proof that his label is 100% accurate. You do not know if the supplement contains to much or to little creatine. You have no guarantees when buying creatine. And you can get creatine from your diet so why bother buying it artificial product
1.) Creatine supplementation can be helpful and detrimental.
Ask yourself: Are the stuff you buy in shops really the creatine or a synthetic attempt with little or no effect
Ask yourself: Are the stuff you buy in shops really the creatine or a synthetic attempt with little or no effect
There is scientific evidence that short term creatine use can increase maximum power and performance in high-intensity anaerobic repetitive work (periods of work and rest) by 5 to 15%. This is mainly bouts of running/cycling sprints and multiple sets of low repetition weightlifting. Single effort work shows an increase of 1 to 5%. This refers mainly to single sprints and single lifting of 1-2RM weights.
However, some studies show no ergogenic effect at all. Studies in endurance athletes have been less than promising, most likely because these activities are sustained at a given intensity and thus do not allow for significant intra-exercise synthesis of additional creatine phosphate molecules. Ingesting creatine can increase the level of phosphocreatine in the muscles up to 20%. It must be noted creatine has no significant effect on aerobic endurance, though it will increase power during short sessions of high-intensity aerobic exercise.
Since body mass gains of about 1 kg can occur in a week's time, many studies suggest that the gain is simply due to greater water retention inside the muscle cells. Other studies, however, have shown that creatine increases the activity of satellite cells, which make muscle hypertrophy possible. Creatine supplementation appears to increase the number of myonuclei that satellite cells will 'donate' to damaged muscle fibers, which increases the potential for growth of those fibers. This increase in myonuclei probably stems from creatine's ability to increase levels of the myogenic transcription factor MRF4
2.) Manufacturing standards of Creatine supplementation is unregulated.
The manufacturing standard of creatine is important. The products on the market today are not necessarily produced as follows. Creatine can be found naturally in many common foods such as herring, tuna, salmon, and beef.
Synthetic creatine is usually made from sarcosine (Sarcosine salts) and cyanamide. Sarcosine is a naturally occurring amino acid like creatine, but manufacturers use a synthetic version. Sarcosine is usually made from chloroacetic acid. Sarcosine is N-methylglycine (H3C-NH-CH2-COOH) which is also an endogenous antagonist of glycine transporter-1. Cyanamide is an amide of cyanogen, and has white crystalline composition.
The creatine made from sarcosine and cyanamise is made in a glass-lined vat called a reactor. Because of the cost of manufacturing reactors and the need for specialist technicians, most synthetic creatine is made by a few firms, which resell to a number of retailers. The reactor has a big rod-like whisk that shoots into the mix to agitate it. The reactor is filled with water, the sarcosine and cyanamide are put in with catalyst compounds. The reactor is heated and pressurized, causing synthetic creatine crystals to form. The crystalline creatine is then centrifuged to spin out undesirable by-products like creatinine and di-cyandiamide and subsequently vacuum dried. The dried creatine compound is milled into a fine powder for improved bioabsorption. Milling techniques differ, resulting in final products of varying solubility and bioabsorbability. For instance, creatine compounds milled to 200 mesh are referred to as micronized.
3.) What you are buying in the shops could have no Creatinein it at all and you will not know
The label is not checked by any lab or organization for accuracy. It can say anything you have no way of knowing if it is true.
4.) If Creatine is mixed with caffeine it will most likely have a negative effect
Additionally, there is some controversy as to whether caffeine can negatively influence the body's treatment of creatine. Some studies have suggested that supplementation with the ergogenic caffeine may eliminate the beneficial effects of creatine. This is significant because both creatine and caffeine are viewed as excellent supplements by body builders, and it was hypothesized that the combination would lead to rapid strength gains. The negative effect of caffeine on creatine metabolism is still questioned, however, and begs for further research.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodybuilding_supplement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermogenesis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodybuilding_supplement#Creatine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanamide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcosine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creatine
