28. Creatine: Only For Bodybuilders?
What is creatine? Creatine is a nitrogenous organic compound and an amino acid derivative made by the liver, kidneys, and, to a lesser extent, the pancreas. The body uses the amino acids glycine, arginine, and methionine to make creatine. It is stored in skeletal muscle and brain as phosphocreatine.
What are amino acids? The building blocks of proteins. There are 20 amino acids in our bodies. 9 of them are “essential,” meaning it is essential for us to eat them in our food because our bodies cannot make them. The remaining 11 are “non-essential,” meaning our bodies can produce them.
Essential Amino Acids: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine
Non-Essential Amino Acids: alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine.
First of all, both plant and animal-derived foods contain all 9 essential amino acids, each in varying amounts, with the exception of collagen, which is missing the amino acid tryptophan. If a variety of plant foods is eaten, on average, all amino acids will be consumed in adequate amounts. Food combining at any one meal is not necessary to achieve a complement of protein building blocks. Our bodies take in and digest the building blocks, then use them as needed.
Creatine is created from three bold-typed building blocks listed above. It acts as an energy shuttle in the muscle and brain. Here’s a basic summary of what creatine’s function looks like from a biochemical point of view:
Creatine (Cr) <———-Cr Kinase———>Phosphocreatine (PCr) ———-> Adenosine TriPhosphate (ATP)
ATP ————> Adenosine DiPhosphate (ADP) + Released Energy
PCr is a smaller molecule and passes more easily across the mitochondrial membrane than ATP and ADP. The presence of PCr in the cytoplasm outside the mitochondria facilitates the recycling of ADP back to ATP for rapid use by body cells (Muscle for exercise and the brain, especially during stress). The presence of PCr increases the power and efficiency of muscle contractions during intense exercise.
Our bodies are intelligently designed and produce and store our own creatine. We produce about 1 gram of creatine per day and store it in our skeletal muscles and brains for use when energy demand is high. Since creatine is stored in muscle tissue, eating meat is a source of dietary creatine, typically 1 - 2 grams per day. Vegans and vegetarians do not consume creatine in their diets, but they do consume the building blocks for making creatine, as noted above.
Can taking a creatine supplement enhance this natural process? Taking a creatine supplement is certainly not necessary. Historically, bodybuilders and athletes have used supplemental creatine since the 1970s, and it has been more widely used in the athletic community since the 1990s. Studies have shown that consistently supplementing with creatine increases Cr and PCr stores in muscles, leading to measurable improvements in high-intensity exercise performance, strength, power, and lean body mass when combined with resistance training.
Creatine stored in muscle recruits water into the muscle, which improves hydration but may also appear as weight gain on the scale. Another potential side effect is stomach upset. Studies demonstrate that creatine supplementation is safe and well-tolerated at doses of 3 to 5 grams per day and can be initiated with a loading dose of 20 grams per day for 5 to 7 days. Even without a loading dose, taking a lower daily dose consistently will ultimately boost muscle storage. Ongoing research investigates whether higher doses may offer different advantages for cognitive effects.
Creatine supplements are created in a lab and are devoid of products of animal origin. There are several forms of creatine supplements on the market, but the most thoroughly tested version is creatine monohydrate. It is most commonly taken as a powder that can be mixed into water or other beverages, but it is also sold in capsules or gummies. The power has a gritty texture that does not completely dissolve, especially in cold liquids.
What is the bottom line? Creatine has an important, natural function in our bodies. Our own internal organs produce creatine from 3 amino acids, which we consume, like all others, in our varied plant-based or omnivorous diets. Eating meat - muscles of other animals- can add some creatine to the diet. But we do not need to eat muscle to make muscle or creatine; our bodies can do that for us using plant-based building blocks. To enhance the muscle-building effects of exercise, taking a creatine supplement might be a safe and effective strategy.
Always consult your health care provider before deciding whether a supplement is safe or appropriate for you. When taking supplements, look for products that are tested by “third parties” or outside agencies for quality and safety.
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