Creatine is an amino acid that can be consumed from food (mainly animal protein) or made by the liver.<\/p>\n
Creatine is also a favourite performance-enhancing supplement among athletes engaged in strength training. www.bodybuilding.com<\/a> lists it as the number-one supplement for faster muscle gain. (Whey protein is number 3 on the list.)<\/p>\n Creatine’s function seems well documented and easy to explain, as follows:<\/p>\n From rest to heavy exertion, the muscle cell’s ATP stores might last only a few seconds; with the regeneration provided by the creatine phosphate, a few more seconds of fresh energy can be gained. After about 10 seconds, the help from creatine phosphate plummets; within two minutes, it’s virtually gone. The creatine phosphate won’t be replenished without a rest period.<\/p>\n So, for athletes trying to improve power, creatine can help. Perhaps a perfect example is football: six to fifteen seconds of intense action, followed by a rest period while the players reset for the next down.1<\/sup> Tennis can also follow such a pattern. Of course, weight lifting and sprinting are two other activities to which creatine could offer benefit.<\/p>\n Endurance athletes, who experience few periods of rest, if any, during their events, will likely not gain noticeable performance benefit from creatine supplement.<\/p>\n Many studies have been done on creatine; it seems no harmful effects have been proven, if it is used within generally accepted guidelines.2<\/sup> It has been recommended that an athlete should only take it once past puberty.2<\/sup><\/p>\n Sources:<\/p>\n 1<\/sup>www.rice.edu<\/a><\/p>\n 2<\/sup>www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov<\/a><\/p>\n www.livescience.com<\/a><\/p>\n www.bodybuilding.com<\/a><\/p>\n umm.edu<\/a><\/p>\n www.bodybuilding.com<\/a><\/p>\n www.bodybuilding.com<\/a><\/p>\n www.nfl.com<\/a><\/p>\n us.myprotein.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n