Creatine

Creatine Article

Creatine is one of the most popular performance supplements used by athletes. It is a naturally-occuring amino acid found primarily in skeletal muscle and in small amounts in the brain. In the muscles, it is stored as creatine phosphate (phosphocreatine) and is used for energy, especially in high-intensity, short duration sports like weight lifting or sprinting. About 1-2% of muscle creatine is broken down and excreted by the body each day, meaning daily creatine intake is required to maintain normal levels of muscle creatine. About half of this is obtained from the diet, with the remaining amount being synthesised in the liver and kidneys. 

Dietary sources of creatine

Creatine is mostly found in red meat and fish (particularly oily fish like herring, salmon and tuna). Wild game is considered the source with the highest amount of creatine, however this is not widely eaten anymore. Creatine is also found in small amounts in nuts and dairy products;  supplementation is worthwhile in vegetarians, vegans and any individuals who don’t eat these foods.

What are the main benefits of supplementation?

Creatine has a wealth of research pertaining to its benefits for sports performance. Studies have shown improvements of 10-20% (1) in high intensity exercise capacity and training adaptations (2, 3); essentially allowing athletes to do more work over a set of lifts or sprints, resulting in greater gains in mass, strength or speed due to higher quality of training. This is especially beneficial for power athletes or repeated sprint athletes e.g. football and hockey. Research has also shown an improvement in post-exercise recovery and refueling; carbohydrate stores are replenished quicker with creatine supplementation than just carbohydrates alone (4) (useful for athletes who require quick recovery turnaround during tournaments/congested fixture periods). There are studies that report injury and cramping prevention (5) and decreases in heat illness/dehydration with creatine supplementation. There is also emerging evidence for its use in the prevention and treatment of diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, osteoarthritis and depression. In short, creatine can help athletes tolerate high training loads, as well as providing performance enhancing benefits.

How much do I need?

In a normal balanced diet, it is common to consume around 1-2g of creatine per day, resulting in muscle creatine stores that are about 60-80% full (7). The most common supplementation protocol is 5g 4x per day (20g total) for 5-7 days as a ‘loading’ dose, then a maintenance dose of 3-5g per day (or 5-10g per day for larger athletes)(7). If you aren’t in a rush to increase your creatine stores, or are concerned about bloating/weight gain, you can skip the loading phase and start with 3-5g per day - stores will take longer to fill (roughly 28 days) however you will still get the performance benefits once they are. Once creatine stores are elevated, it takes 4-6 weeks for them to return to baseline (8). You should aim to have your creatine with carbohydrates or protein for greater creatine retention (9) but this isn’t essential.

Is it safe?

Creatine supplementation safety has been a victim of a wealth of misinformation over the past 20 years. Common concerns include weight gain, kidney damage and hair loss, however much of the research reporting these side effects were carried out in rodents consuming far higher doses of creatine than recommended for humans. The only consistently reported side effect of creatine supplementation is weight gain. This is thought to be due to increased water retention in the first few days of supplementation (6), however it appears to be highly individual. A position stand created by the International Society of Sports Nutrition in 2017 stated that ‘there is no compelling scientific evidence that the short- or long-term use of creatine monohydrate (up to 30 g/day for 5 years) has any detrimental effects on otherwise healthy individuals’ (7). As with any supplement, there is a risk of the product containing substances that aren’t on the label. Always check your supplements are tested for the presence of banned substances using a third-party batch testing company, like Informed Sport or NSF.

Why iidro?

iidro Daily contains 5g of creatine, so whether you’re loading or maintaining, you can be sure you are getting the right dose in our drink. You can take iidro Daily throughout the day, however we would recommend you drink it in the morning with or just after your breakfast for optimal results. Practitioners: this drink takes away the effort of adding creatine to your athletes drinks bottles and shakes - freeing up time in your day for those other tasks you’ve been putting off!

References:

1. Kreider RB. Effects of creatine supplementation on performance and training adaptations. Mol Cell Biochem. 2003;244(1–2):89–94.
2. Kreider RB, et al. Effects of creatine supplementation on body composition, strength, and sprint performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1998;30(1):73–82.
3. Grindstaff PD, et al. Effects of creatine supplementation on repetitive sprint performance and body composition in competitive swimmers. Int J Sport Nutr. 1997;7(4):330–46.
4. Nelson AG, et al. Muscle glycogen supercompensation is enhanced by prior creatine supplementation. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001;33(7):1096–100.
5. Greenwood M, et al. Creatine supplementation during college football training does not increase the incidence of cramping or injury. Mol Cell Biochem. 2003;244(1–2):83–8.
6. Rosene JM, Matthews TD, Mcbride KJ, Galla A, Haun M, Mcdonald K, Gagne N, Lea J, Kasen J, Farias C. The effects of creatine supplementation on thermoregulation and isokinetic muscular performance following acute (3-day) supplementation. J. Sports Med. Phys. Fitness. 2015;55:1488–96.
7. Kreider, R.B., Kalman, D.S., Antonio, J. et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 14, 18 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
8. Hultman E, et al. Muscle creatine loading in men. J Appl Physiol (1985). 1996;81(1):232–7.
9. Green AL, et al. Carbohydrate ingestion augments skeletal muscle creatine accumulation during creatine supplementation in humans. Am J Physiol. 1996;271(5 Pt 1):E821–6.