Creatine: Overall Health Benefits, Supplements and the Right Dosage
If you look at your local pharmacy in the supplement aisle, you may find different forms of creatine such as gummy, powder, capsules, and even beverage mixtures. That’s because creatine is Popular fitness supplements For those who want to gain muscle, strength and strength at the same time improve performance. It is also naturally made inside our bodies and helps our muscles produce energy while we exercise.
Although creatine can be found in foods like salmon, chicken, beef, and pork, many people take supplements for fitness benefits. But did you know that creatine can have other effects on your mental and physical health? To learn more, we talked with experts about the benefits, effects, outcomes, and how to choose the right supplement.
Creatine is good for your overall health
Although creatine is popular in the fitness field, it has other benefits that ordinary people can take advantage of. For example, creatine can help restore damage, improve skeletal muscle, and has been shown to have a positive impact on the brain.
Jenna Stangland Registered nutritionist“Recently, studies have shown that creatine per day can increase brain creatine levels by 6%. Some of this can be attributed to Increase in phosphate When taking creatine in the brain, it can help reduce cognitive neurological disorders. Phosphoprotein is a substance produced by our skeletal muscles Used as a buffer Maintains the energy form produced by cells called adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Stangland added that creatine may even have one Positive impact on your mental health. “It is found that when there is less white matter creatine and phosphate protein in the brain, more severe depression attacks occur,” she said. Therefore, taking creatine can increase white matter, which improves your mental state.
According to Strangland, creatine also has an impact on emotions by promoting brain energy levels, especially for women. “Women have Lower creatine is stored in the brain – About 70% to 80% compared to males – especially in the frontal lobe, so this is an area where women benefit particularly from taking creatine every day.
How to choose a creatine supplement
As you can imagine, the supplement market is full of different products, many of which are questionable in nature. This is because of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) No dietary supplements For effectiveness or safety. You will encounter three different types of creatine in the supplement store: creatine monohydrate, creatine ethanol and creatine hydrochloride. Of these three, creatine monohydrate is the most popular version and has been proven to help people achieve their fitness goals.
Although creatine is a popular and well-known supplement, it is still important to be cautious when choosing a serving of creatine. Chrissy Arsenault, Chief Nutritionist Consultant Coaching Academy“I recommend that consumers look for a brand that has been well tested and third-party when choosing creatine,” the suggestion said.
Stangland said the ingredient part should read only creatine monohydrate and should not mention other preservatives, additives, binders, etc. You will find creatine monohydrate in vitamin stores, whether in powder or capsule form or capsule form, in vitamin stores, so you can choose according to your preferences. Other forms include creatine gummy and beverage mixtures.
How to bring creatine to support your fitness goals
Another thing you look for on a creatine container is that one consumes equals 5 grams. “In terms of portion size, you want to see a portion that is 5 grams spoon so that you can fully scald the recommended dose,” Stangland said.
How much you should take will also depend on your own goals. For example, if your goal is to build strength or muscle building, Arsenault recommends taking at least 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate per day. “For optimal absorption, divide 20 grams into four daily intakes of 5 grams, combined with carbohydrates and protein,” she added.
If weight loss is your main focus, you can follow the above guidelines. “Cretinine can help retain muscle mass during calorie restriction, but please do as you know and adjust as needed,” Arsenault said. For example, some people may experience bloating and want to reduce the dose. On the other hand, if you don’t notice the difference between “pumps”, you may need to increase the dose.
Creatine weight gain
In some cases, a common side effect is weight gain. However, weight gain is caused by temporary retention rates that ultimately subside.
“In the early stages of creatine supplementation, when the amount of creatine storage in the muscle increases, the overall water increases slightly.
The good news is that this is only shown in the short term or in the first few days of the loading phase of creatine, 20 grams per day. Stanland said that after those days, the body’s total water returned to normal and showed no overall weight gain due to creatine supplementation.
When supplementing with creatine, be careful to drink the daily water you recommend.
Who should avoid creatine?
Even if creatine is a well-researched supplement, it is usually safe to take if you don’t have any potential conditions, some people should practise caution before adding it to their diet.
Arsenault recommends people with liver disease or edema to talk to their doctor first before taking creatine. “This is because creatine is naturally made in the kidneys and liver,” she said. Additionally, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should also consult your doctor before replenishing your doctor.
How long should you take creatine before seeing results
Like any supplement, creatine does not work overnight. Stangland recommends doing it for at least four weeks to see any actual changes. “This schedule shows an increase in creatine levels in the brain and/or an increase in muscle levels to improve strength and strength,” she said.
Remember that you may have already obtained some creatine in your diet because it is a naturally occurring animal protein substance such as red meat, chicken and seafood. However, Stanland notes that to get enough creatine from food, people need to eat two pounds of steak or two and a half pounds of salmon every day.
If you don’t see any changes to creatine, it might be called: unresponsive. “Because you have higher creatine levels before starting to replenish, low mass of below-average fat, and a lower proportion of type 2 muscle fiber, you may be unresponsive,” Stangland said. Other situations where you may be unresponsive if you use creatine for too long, or if you don’t have the same creatine levels in your muscles anymore, you may be unresponsive.
If your diet is already heavy, it may be another situation with no responders. “This means they have already obtained enough creatine to get the best performance and have a high baseline level,” Arsenault said.
Bottom line
Ultimately, creatine is a supplement that shouldn’t be the only thing to focus on when working towards fitness goals. Instead, think of it as a tool that can help you implement them. Ultimately, a healthy diet, a balanced lifestyle, full sleep and regular exercise will help you achieve long-term success, no matter your goals.
