Creatine and Its Benefits

Creatine and Its Benefits

Benefits of Creatine

Creatine is produced in the liver which is a nitrogenous organic acid and it helps to supply energy to cells in the body for the most part of muscle cells. It is made out of three amino acids: L-arginine, glycine, and L-methionine.

Creatine is moved from one place to another place in the body through the blood by an active transport system, and then it is used by muscles that are lacking energy like the brain and skeletal muscle. As a matter of fact 95 percent of creatine in the human body is stored in skeletal muscle.

The French chemist, Michel Eugène Chevreul, in 1832 first identified creatine. This chemical is made by the body naturally and it can also be obtained from some foods and supplements.

As Creatine has the ability to supply energy to the organs that are lacking energy it is mostly used by athletes as it increases their energy and it has rapid energy production. It helps to improve their performance as athletes and allows them to work hard and train.

The International Olympic Committee and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have permitted to use creatine, and it is extensively used by professional athletes (such as John Elway and Sammy Sosa).


The Benefits of Creatine Consumption

Creatine has the ability to help treating many diseases. It is not confined to be used by athletes alone. Creatine helps treat neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders, such as arthritis, Parkinson's disease, congestive heart failure, and depression, and also improves cognitive ability.


Improving Athletic Performance

As there 9is high competition athletes need to take supplements in order to maintain good health and to benefit. They take creatine so that their stamina is improved and their energy levels are also improved. As they undergo intense training and their body should support them they have to consume supplements like creatine. “It helps to work out more and gives you more energy with bigger and stronger muscles.” said Chad Kerksick, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise physiology at the University of Oklahoma. The researchers have published findings in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine saying that by the use of creatine one can increase the power to the maximum level and high intensity anaerobic exercise can be repeated and worked up to 15 percent. If the muscle content is increased it shows that body mass has also increased.


Creatine for Parkinson's Disease

Creatine can also be used for Parkinson’s diseases it slows down the progress of the disease. When the mice were treated with creatine it was capable of preventing the loss of the cells that are normally affected by the condition.


Creatine May Treat People with Muscular Dystrophy

Creatine is a supplement that is capable of improving the muscular strength of people suffering from muscular dystrophy. As it a major concern for people to have bone disorders creatine supplement can help to build their stamina. In a study that was made by German it was found that people with muscular problems who took creatine showed improvement in muscle strength by 8.5 percent.

Reviewed By:

Dr. Kaushal M. Bhavsar (MBBS, MD)

Assistant Professor in Pulmonary Medicine, GMERS Medical College, Ahmedabad