Creatine is a widely researched and popular supplement known for its benefits in enhancing athletic performance and muscle development.

Benefits and Uses of Creatine

1. Improving Athletic Performance:

   • Creatine supplementation can enhance performance in high-intensity, short-duration activities like sprinting, weightlifting, and jumping¹².
   • It helps in the rapid regeneration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is crucial for energy production during intense physical activities³.

2. Increasing Muscle Mass and Strength:

   • Research consistently shows that creatine improves muscle strength and lean muscle mass when combined with resistance training⁴⁵.
   • It is particularly effective in increasing muscle strength in both young and older adults¹.

3. Health Benefits:

   • Creatine may enhance post-exercise recovery, injury prevention, and rehabilitation⁶.
   • It shows potential cognitive benefits, improving brain creatine levels that might aid in conditions like traumatic brain injury⁵.

4. Specific Medical Conditions:

   • It is used for disorders of creatine metabolism and transport, improving brain creatine levels in specific deficiencies¹.

Safety and Dosage

• Safety: Creatine is generally safe for short- and long-term use in healthy individuals, although it may cause temporary water retention³.
• Dosing Regimens:
  • Loading Phase: 0.3 grams per kg of body weight per day for 5-7 days.
  • Maintenance Phase: 0.03 grams per kg of body weight per day³.
  • Some sources suggest that the loading phase is not necessary and that creatine can be taken continuously at maintenance doses³.

Considerations

• Individuals who begin with lower creatine levels typically see more significant benefits from supplementation¹.
• The most studied and effective form of creatine is creatine monohydrate³.

If you would like to search for specific creatine products, please let me know!

Footnotes

1. MedlinePlus Supplements - Creatine ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. PubMed - Hall, M. - Creatine Supplementation: An Update ↩

3. PubMed - Cooper, R. - Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

4. Examine.com - Creatine ↩

5. PubMed Central - Beyond Muscles: The Untapped Potential of Creatine ↩ ↩²

6. PubMed - Kreider, R. - Creatine in Health and Disease ↩