Don’t Believe These Creatine Myths
Creatine – one of the most popular supplements for people who engage in sports, and for good reason: there is strong evidence that it is safe to take and effectively to help build muscle . But myths persist, so let’s take a look at some of them.
Myth: This is a steroid or some kind of terrible drug.
Truth : it is not. Creatine is a substance that our body produces naturally, and we also get it from food. A pound of meat contains about a gram of creatine; The typical dosage of creatine supplementation is 3-5 grams per day. Creatine from supplements simply adds to what we naturally consume. (However, if your body is good at making creatine, or if you eat a lot of meat, a supplement may not make much sense. This seems to be why some people respond better to a supplement than others.)
Another difference between creatine and steroids – besides the fact that they are completely different chemically and biologically – is that the benefits of creatine, while well supported, are marginal. This can help you do a few extra reps in your max effort set, or shorten your sprint time slightly. Over the course of hundreds of workouts, the additional effects add up, but they won’t make you much bigger or stronger.
Myth: you have to turn your bike on and off.
Truth : no. When creatine first became popular, some questions remained unanswered about how the human body would respond to prolonged use. Will we stop making our own natural creatine? Will it harm our kidneys?
One way to deal with this insecurity was to take creatine for a short time and then stop taking it for a while. But it turns out that the loop is unnecessary; creatine continues to work, and our bodies continue to produce creatine even with long-term supplementation.
And people do not suffer from kidney damage from creatine supplementation , although if you do a kidney function test, your doctor may notice elevated creatinine levels. (Creatinine is a breakdown byproduct of creatine, which is normal, but in people who do not take additional creatine, this could be a sign of kidney damage.) There is some controversy as to whether creatine is safe for people who already have kidney problems; talk to your doctor if you are concerned about this.
Myth: it doesn’t work for women.
Truth : Creatine research has been done with more men than women, but creatine is effective and has very few disadvantages for women .
There can be slight differences between how men and women metabolize and use creatine. For example, this review indicates that women may have more creatine in their muscles to begin with, simply because they have less muscle on average. There may also be hormonal reasons why creatine is more effective at certain times, such as pregnancy and certain stages of the menstrual cycle. But that doesn’t change the big picture: if you are involved in a sport or exercise in which creatine supplementation can help, you are likely to benefit from creatine, regardless of your gender.
Myth: you must take creatine at a specific time or in a specific way.
Truth : Creatine builds up in your body over time, so it’s a good idea to just take a dose every day to replenish your stores. This means that you have to take it on rest days as well as on training days, and it doesn’t matter if you take it before training, after training, or at any other time of the day.
Creatine monohydrate is generally the cheapest and easiest to find; none of the alternative drugs, such as creatine citrate, have been found to be better .
When you first start taking creatine, you can take a “loading dose” for a week if you like; so your creatine stores are replenished a little faster. But you can also just start taking your daily dose; you will feel the full effect within a few weeks .