Creatine Facts: Pros and Cons of Creatine
Monohydrate
Both athletes and bodybuilders have used creatine
extensively in recent years. It’s popularity
stems from its ability to enhance muscle growth
and athletic performance.
Creatine acts as a ready source of energy for
muscles and hence people who consume creatine
often report an increase in strength and endurance,
which enable them to excel in their sports activities.
Currently creatine is classified as a health supplement
and as such it does not come under the regulation
of FDA as in the case of pharmaceutical drugs.
It can be sold freely and as such, one can easily
find hundreds of different brands of creatine
in the market. Of all these, creatine monohydrate
is the most commonly available and consumed form.
But is creatine really safe? This seems to be
the question often asked by potential consumer
of this supplement. Since creatine monohydrate
is the most readily available form, lets take
a look at the pros and cons of creatine monohydrate.
The Pros:
As mentioned, creatine has been reported by many
to be an effective supplement in muscle growth
and bodybuilders are among the top consumers of
this product. Because creatine is able to make
energy readily available for muscles during workouts,
it enable bodybuilding enthusiasts to workout
for a longer duration and this has help in the
rapid muscle gain.
Beside this, creatine has also been reported to
be beneficial in some medical illnesses.
1. Creatine is found to improve muscle strength
, and lean body mass in people suffering from
neuromuscular disorders, which are characterized
by muscle weakness, and wasting.
2. Creatine may also help in lowering cholesterol
level in people with abnormally high concentration
of lipids in their blood
3. There are some preliminary studies, which suggests
that taking creatine as a supplement along with
the usual medical care for congestive heart failure
patients had significant improvement in their
symptoms and a marked increase in exercise capacity
compared to those on placebo.
4. Creatine also seems to help relieve muscle
weakness in arthritic patients.
The Cons
There are certain side effects of creatine reported
which include nauseous, vomiting, gastrointestinal
disturbance like diarrhea, gastric upset, muscle
cramps and dizziness. However, some studies done
have shown that these so-called negative effects
of creatine is caused mainly by improper consumption
of the creatine.
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