The Most Researched Performance Enhancing Nutritional Supplement
Creatine – The most researched performance enhancing nutritional supplement
Does creatine supplementation work?
The February 2004 issue of the Strength and Conditioning Journal, the official publication of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, had an article entitled, “the myth of creatine.” In this article they questioned the myth that creatine supplementation would enhance performance any appreciable amount. They stated that previous research on the effects of creatine on performance, including studies based on human athletes, had come to one conclusion that supplementation of creatine for athletes increased strength. However, no study has demonstrated that it improves performance during endurance events.
Our interest is not what they said, but rather what they didn’t say. Why? Because the article ended with the statement that creatine is not an essential nutrient for daily muscle integrity. If I may be so bold as to suggest that this is the most published research on creatine that exists? If you don’t believe me, let me present a argument so that you can decide for yourself:
comparison of supplemental creatine between bodybuilding and endurance athletes. The athletes in this study ingested 20 g/day of creatine for 5 days. The control group ingested a placebo.
1.Safety. — Is creatine safe for athletes to consume hundreds of times higher than the recommended dosage?
2.ascorbic acid. — Does the inclusion of ascorbic acid truly improve the bioavailability of creatine?
3.blood chemistry. — Does the blood chemistry data in Table 1 provide any clues as to the effect of creatine supplementation on body composition? Does it change total creatine and certain lab values (such as , Angina means total heart pa rvalue/ 120 mm Hg or greater)? Does it alter creatinine?
4. Comparison between endurance athletes and bodybuilders. — Is there a relationship between improvements in body composition and improvements in athletic performance?
5. Effects of creatine supplementation on elderly. — Does elderly individuals respond in the same way to creatine supplementation as a younger population?
6. Effects of creatine supplementation on strength athletes. — How does creatine supplementation enhance strength athlete ‘s performance?
7. The influence of creatine supplementation on resistance training. How does it work?
8. The intake of creatine during periods of resistance training has no effect on the total muscle pool and the duration of exercise.
9. Overall muscle performance. — Does creatine supplementation enhance performance?
10. Sexual performance. — Does creatine supplementation during sexual performance?
An answer to the argument that there is no scientific proof of creatine supplementation’s ability to enhance performance in endurance athletes, two studies that compared creatine and placebo groups and used theCook Endurance Society Testosterone Intense Trial version 4.
These two studies compared the effects of creatine loading and maintenance with over a decade of experience with elite endurance athletes. They noted that during prolonged exercise events such as the Supplement study, muscle damage became more than the increased anaerobic power. Also during theGH90 Energy and Growth Study, they again noted that muscle damage increased and that anaerobic performance was impaired.
However, there is some question as to whether these studies used appropriate sample data. They also questioned the long-standing recommendation that creatine loading should be 5 grams daily for 5 days. They believe that the study of Lean Body Mass Creatine Supplementation needs to be undertaken over a longer period of time with a Loading dose being preferable to the maintenance dose.
Another study that was performed over a two-year period and used a small group of men. No improvements were noted in the muscle strength of the subjects.
Our findings are supported by research performed during the past two years. Multiple studies have shown no adverse effects of long-term creatine supplementation.