What’s up Unleashed Humans! On this episode we will be discussing what creatine is, what it does, why people use it, what the risks are, some of the common myths surrounding creatine, how much you should take, when you should take it and what company I suggest you buy from.

 

First off, most people don’t know what creatine actually is…

Creatine is naturally found in our body, specifically found in our muscle and brain tissue. 95% of creatine is found in skeletal muscle as fast twitch type 2 muscles which are known for explosive and fast movements like punching, jumping, kicking and heavy weight training. Creatine’s primary function is to recycle ATP aka Adenosine Triphosphate which is the molecule that gives our cells energy. The way that Creatine creates energy is it converts ADP aka adenosine diphosphate into ATP, which again is energy for our cells and tissues. In order to convert ADP to ATP, creatine is in the form of phosphocreatine, which gives ADP one more phosphate group to great Tri-phosphate aka energy. Creatine is endogenously created in the body via the liver and kidneys at about 1 gram per day. Most of the creatine in our bodies is stored inside skeletal muscle and the rest inside blood, the brain and other tissues. You can increase your creatine by taking exogenous creatine in the form of supplements or you can eat more meats, as animal proteins have the most creatine content. Foods like milk, red and white meat, fish and mollusks typically have the most creatine. Thus, it is important to note that typically vegetarians have less muscle creatine than non-vegetarians, but vegetarians can always up their creatine via supplementation. It is also important to note that cooking time, type of meat and muscle site influence the amount of creatine someone can consume after ingestion. For example, to retain the most creatine, do not overcook your meats but rather leave some of the meat tender and somewhat pink. If you make sure you know your source of meat, undercooking your meat will be just fine.

 

 

Now let’s move on to what it is used for…

 

Creatine is mostly used as an athletic performance supplement. It has been the most popular dietary supplement in the sports world and has over $400 million in sales each year. Its primary purpose is to increase phosphocreatine levels in muscle and to increase free creatine which will postpone muscle fatigue and soreness. It has been shown to increase maximum power and performance in weight lifting. Thus, it is usually best in the setting of high intensity exercises and power movements. So it can be said that it isn’t as great for endurance-based exercises or long-distance activities. What is interesting is that athletes report to use it for improving performance and non-athletes report using it to improve appearance of their bodies. Creatine has been known to increase size of muscles and improve muscle contractions. Just as an anecdotal example from my own life…. I recently started taking creatine again and I dramatically increases strength and size by consistently taking it each day I worked out. From December 2018 to now which is May 4th of this recording, I have gained 20 pounds of lean muscle mass. But remember, I also trained and ate appropriately to gain weight. Studies have shown that creatine’s affects are magnified by increasing your glycemic load.. In other words by adding a little carbohydrates to your diet, it will help in the absorption of creatine.

 

 

 

Now the other benefits of creatine that most people don’t talk about are things like:

 

Enhancing cognitive performance in the form of a nootropic to aid in neuro-protection. Studies have proposed that oral creatine may improve short-term memory and intelligence in healthy individuals. A study in young volunteers had participants consume oral creatine monohydrate for 4 weeks. In these participants, they found a significant increase in creatine content in their brains. What was interesting is not only that it crossed the blood brain barrier quite easily, but also, the creatine concentrated mostly in the thalamus of the brain responsible for motor and sensory input of the body. You see… Creatine protects from lack of oxygen by making sure brain tissues are adequately supplied with energy in the form of ATP to prevent structural damage to brain tissues. Another study in young adult females investigated the impact of creatine supplementation on cognitive functions in both vegetarians and omnivores. Compared to the placebo group, 5 days of supplementation with creatine led to significant improvements in memory. This improvement in brain function was more pronounced in vegetarians. Another study investigated the effects of 6-week-long creatine supplementation in young vegetarians. In comparison with placebo, creatine-induced significant improvements in intelligence and working memory, with both functions depending on the speed of information processing. This study showed that brain performance is dependent on the level of energy available in the brain, which can be beneficially influenced by creatine supplementation.

 

Creatine supplementation has also been shown to be beneficial in treatment-resistant PTSD patients in relief from symptoms and improved sleep quality.

 

studies of creatine functions in the central nervous system underline creatine’s therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative diseases, since creatine supplementation can reduce the loss of neuronal cells. Also, animal model studies have demonstrated that the size of creatine stores in the brain play an important role in Alzheimer’s disease, and creatine supplementation was found to be beneficial in animal models of Parkinson’s disease as well, a rationale for using creatine in these conditions.

 

 

 

Now I just mentioned what the benefits were of creatine.. but just as something as healthy as water can be toxic to us… creatine can be as well. So I’m now going to cover the potential risks and dangers. Now, I will say that creatine monohydrate has been shown to be extremely safe in normal healthy populations and the chance of serious complications is very low unless you are inappropriately dosing creatine, or you have a serious kidney or liver condition. So let’s dive into the possible side effects.

One of the first side effects of creatine, which will almost 100% occur is weight gain..  so it is either a positive or negative depending on your goals. This is because creatine naturally retains a lot of water inside of your muscles so don’t worry.. it is muscle mass, along with water that you are gaining.. not fat. So really.. this is a good thing.. it’s also one of the main reasons people take creatine.

 

One claim suggests that creatine can dehydrate you because your body is retaining so much water.. which intuitively makes sense.. however researchers have since then disproved this theory. A three-year study of college athletes found that those taking creatine had fewer cases of dehydration, muscle cramps, or muscle injuries than those not taking it. They also missed fewer sessions due to illness or injury

 

One study examined creatine use during exercise in hot weather, which can accelerate cramping and dehydration. During a 35-minute cycling session in 99°F (37°C) heat, creatine had no adverse effects compared to a placebo

 

Further examination via blood tests also confirmed no difference in hydration or electrolyte levels, which play a key role in muscle cramps

 

 

The most conclusive research has been conducted in individuals undergoing hemodialysis, a medical treatment that may cause muscle cramps. Researchers noted that creatine reduced cramping incidents by 60%

 

 

 

Another side effect or theory suggests kidney and liver dysfunction. The reason why this was thought an issue is that when creatine breaks down it is formed Into a compound called creatinine which occurs from normal muscle catabolism aka cleaning up old muscle cells. Creatinine is naturally elevated in the blood when there is more creatine intake or after a workout. Well, most kidney and liver problems are diagnosed based off high levels of creatinine in the blood because to eliminate creatinine it must pass thru the kidneys. However, just because your blood creatinine levels are high, does not mean your liver or kidneys are being harmed.

 

A long-term study of college athletes found no side effects related to liver or kidney function. Other studies measuring biological markers in the urine also found no difference after creatine ingestion

 

One of the longest studies to date — lasting for four years — similarly concluded that creatine has no negative side effects

 

However, if you have a known kidney or liver condition, I would stay away from creatine for the time being, unless told by your doctor or practitioner that it is okay to supplement creatine.

 

Next.. if you are taking certain medications or over the counter medications you may want to be careful when taking creatine. These are typically medications for liver and kidney conditions.  So if you are taking medications like cyclosporine, aminoglycosides, gentamicin, tobramycin, anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and many other drugs… then you will want to avoid creatine regularly. You should also be careful supplementing creatine if you are pregnant, have heart disease, cancer, breastfeeding or any other serious condition.

 

Another claim has proposed that creatine leads to compartment syndrome in which either your arm or leg starts to generate too much pressure inside the muscles, tissues or from the blood stream. Although one study found an increase in muscle pressure during two hours of heat training, it resulted mainly from heat and exercise-induced dehydration — not from creatine

 

Another claim is that creatine might increase your risk for rhabdomyolysis a condition in which muscle breaks down and leaks proteins into your bloodstream. However, this idea is not supported by any evidence.

The myth originated because a marker in your blood called creatine kinase increases with creatine supplements

However, this slight increase is quite different from the large amounts of creatine kinase associated with rhabdomyolysis. Interestingly, some experts even suggest creatine may protect against this condition

 

There is also a misconception that creatine is only meant for adult men. Thus… stating that children, adolescents and women should avoid it. However, this is far from the truth. There is zero research suggesting that creatine is dangerous for younger populations and women. In fact, there are numerous medical interventions in which doctors gave both kids and adults creatine who were suffering with neuromuscular diseases and muscle loss. Studies have shown that creatine is extremely valuable in people with muscle wasting diseases and apparent systemic muscle weakness disorders.

 

With all of those quote on quote side effects being stated… creatine has been used for over a century with over 500 studies to support its safety and efficacy. It is also the one of the cheapest, most effective and safest supplements available on the market.

 

However.. again. Just remember, make sure you aren’t mixing it with any drugs or taking it if you have a serious illness, kidney and liver disorders, cancer, heart disease and pregnancy.

 

 

 

Okay… so before I tell you which creatine supplement and how much I am going to first tell you the different types of creatine and why most of them are unnecessary. Before I list them off, I will tell you most of them are marketing ploys to make you think absorption and efficacy is more advanced than predecessors. However, I’ll tell you right now creatine monohydrate is the most researched supplement in history and works just as well as it ever has. It has been PROVEN safe, effective and is the gold standard in which creatine is judged and is usually the cheapest form of creatine by far.

 

So the different Kinds of creatine supplements are as follows….

 

1st is Effervescent Creatine.. Which is made up of creatine monohydrate, citric acid and bicarbonate which is supposed to increase retention however.. research shows it is no greater than creatine monohydrate.

 

2nd is Creatine Nitrate… which is creatine bound to a nitrate group and has been said to be 10x more soluble than creatine monohydrate which can help people who have stomach issues when they take creatine monohydrate.. which isn’t too often. So if for some reason you have stomach issues when taking creatine monohydrate.. try creatine nitrate. Creatine Nitrate will not outperform creatine monohydrate in power or strength, however.

 

3rd is Creatine Citrate… Which is bonded with citric acid and claims that it makes it more absorbable… total bullshit again. Research shows it is no greater than creatine monohydrate.

 

4th is Creatine Ethyl Ester.. This might be the worst form of creatine.. as it almost completely degrades as creatinine in the intestines making it far inferior than creatine monohydrate. The funny thing is that Creatine Ethyl Ester is touted as the most advanced creatine and it drastically increase uptake.. when in fact it is totally the opposite.

 

5th is Buffered Creatine aka Kre-Alkalyn… This creatine is paired with sodium bicarbonate aka baking soda. Its claim is that since it is paired with baking soda, it will make the creatine more basic so that it can pass through the stomach acid unscathed and thus you won’t need to take as much creatine, and it will increase the amount of creatine in your body. However, studies show this to be false.. Creatine monohydrate is actually much better because stomach acid slows its conversion to creatinine which is what we want from a creatine supplement aka slow the process of creatine degradation. Also.. this creatine is still less affective for growth and strength compared to creatine monohydrate.

 

6th is Magnesium Creatine Chelate.. This is one of the newer forms of creatine.. Some studies show this form might enhance uptake of creatine.. but performance studies have yet to show it being better than creatine monohydrate.

 

7th is Creatine Pyruvate… Some research shows that Creatine Pyruvate was more effective than creatine citrate… which from other research creatine citrate is close to creatine monohydrate in performance. This is likely because creatine pyruvate has shown to increase plasma creatine levels more than monohydrate but did not show evidence for better absorption compared to monohydrate.

 

8th is Creatine Malate… This creatine is bound to malic acid… not too much research has been shown that this creatine is superior to monohydrate.. but malic acid has been shown to have performance enhancing properties on its own.

 

9th and last is Creatine Hydrochloride aka Con-Crete… Hydrochloride supplements are always touted to have better absorption in the GI tract… Most hydrochlorides bond well with amines, however. But Creatine Hydrochloride at the moment doesn’t show enough research to override creatine monohydrate in the realm of both performance and absorption.

 

In a nutshell, you should just stick to what has worked for a hundred years.. Just get Creatine Monohydrate. It works. It is cheap. There are no gimmicks. No shiny whistles. Just Results.

 

 

Now let’s move onto how much creatine you can take daily and in which form should you take creatine?

 

As a common myth… for the longest time, people said you need to do a loading phase of creatine. Meaning that you should take 20 grams of creatine a day in the first week. I’m going to tell you.. this is absolutely false. It is totally unnecessary to do this. I have never done this in my entire life, and I would very much advise against it just because it is a waste of creatine and is too much to intake at one given moment even if creatine is very safe its unneeded. 

 

Therefore, I myself take 5 grams of creatine daily and I typically take it 5 times out of the week even on non-training days. You don’t need to take it every single day, as your body will store some creatine from the previous day. I myself, as stated earlier, have gained 20 pounds of muscle in a 5-month period by just consuming 5 grams of creatine a day, eating a well-balanced diet and weight training at least 4-5 days a week. There is not much that goes into it than that. Supplementing and training doesn’t have to be complicated.. it’s quite easy to be honest. If you stay consistent with your nutrition, supplementation and training, you will reap the rewards. It’s that simple.

 

Now you’re probably wondering what form I consume my creatine in. Well, I consume my creatine in powdered form because I find it very easy to pop one scoop of 5g into my mouth and swish it around with water and then swallow. Creatine has no flavor or odor which makes it very nice to add to smoothies or just swallow it with water like I do.

 

I like using powder for a few reasons:

 

First, you don’t have to swallow pills which will add up to about 3-5 pills to equal 5 grams of creatine. However, pills are typically better for traveling if that suits your fancy.

 

Second, powder is usually cheaper than both pill and liquid form of creatine.

Third, as I mentioned before, it can be mixed into anything as it has no flavor

 

I must mention that you should never consume creatine in liquid form… because creatine is actually unstable in an aqueous solution which means you are basically just consuming creatinine and not creatine.

 

Now, you are probably thinking… when do I take creatine? Well, the answer is simple, you can either take it before or after a workout. Both are totally fine. I typically take 5 grams before my work out if I can.. otherwise I just do it after the workout. You can also take 2.5 grams before and then 2.5 grams after. Totally up to you. But I wouldn’t stress too much about before or after. Chose what fits you best.

 

Okay… so now that you’re a pro at creatine… you’re probably asking well.. which company do I buy from. Great question…. If you know me, you know that I like taking supplements that give you exactly what you are looking for in its purest form. No extra fillers, emulsifiers, artificial flavors, coatings or magnesium stearate that is typically found in supplement capsules. No, I always make sure I get just the supplement and that is it.

 

For that reason, I have always trusted bulksupplements.com for nearly 10 years for my go to supplier of pure powders and proteins. If you are just starting out, I would suggest getting a 100g bag of creatine monohydrate (micronized) powder from bulksupplements.com. I would also advise buying straight from their website and not from amazon.com. This is because when it comes to buying supplements and food products online… I always want to go straight through the company itself. You never know what can happen through third party websites these days.

 

I posted the link to bulk supplements creatine monohydrate in the show notes if you want to click over to their website for easy ordering.

 

Just FYI a 100 g bag of creatine monohydrate from bulksupplements.com is only 11 dollars. This means if you are taking 5 grams per day at 5 days a week, this bag will last you approximately one month or 20 days if you discount the weekends. This means you are paying 55 cents per 5 grams of creatine, which is 2 dollars and 75 cents a week which equates to 11 dollars a month. Just for your analytical people out there wanting to know cost.

                                                                                                                   

 

With all of the basics covering creatine, it can be said that creatine in the form of creatine monohydrate is any amazing and extremely safe supplement in normal healthy populations. It has numerous health benefits aside from gaining mass and strength as we mentioned earlier. We discussed how it works in the body and what the physiological ramifications are for it working inside our muscles and tissues. We also discussed the types of creatine, the forms of creatine, how to take it, when to take it and what company I trust most for my creatine. So with this knowledge spread the word and usage of creatine in your daily life. Go crush your goals and get stronger! This information is useless unless you act upon it or help someone else you know in need. Feel free to share this episode with friends and family who you feel should hear this! It may just change their life.

 

Well, that is it from me on this episode! If you enjoyed today’s show I would be so appreciative if you left a review and rating and even share with your friends and family. I put a ton of time into making these episodes and it would mean a ton to me if you gave me some feedback. If you want to reach out to me personally I would love to help wherever I can! Message me on Instagram @theunleashedhuman and I will personally help you out with anything you have going on whether that is losing weight, better sleep, better headspace, getting stronger in the gym, cleaning up your diet or even to just say hello, I am always here to help out!

 

Lastly, if you haven’t already you can literally right now go get my FREE book. It is seriously FREE. F-R-E-E. No shipping, no waiting. It is emailed directly to you. All you have to do is go to www.theunleashedhuman.com/unleashed to get your FREE copy of The Unleashed Human.

 

Until then, take care of yourself and always strive to become an Unleashed Human. Talk soon.

 

 

Bulk Supplements Creatine Monohydrate 100 grams:

https://www.bulksupplements.com/creatine-monohydrate.html

 

 

Dr. TJ Woodham:

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