What are the benefits of creatine?
2022-12-23
In addition to improving athlete performance, creatine may have a positive impact on brain, heart, and neuromuscular diseases, specifically, creatine has the following 10 benefits:
→ helps muscle cells produce more energy
Creatine supplementation can increase the storage of phosphocreatine in muscles, and creatine phosphate promotes the formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
During exercise, ATP molecules are broken down to produce energy, but the rate at which ATP regenerates limits your ability to continue high-intensity exercise.
Creatine supplementation can increase phosphocreatine stores, allowing you to produce more ATP energy during high-intensity exercise, which can improve athletic performance.
Creatine supplements can increase the production of proteins that form new muscle fibers and raise levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a hormone that promotes muscle growth.
In addition, creatine supplements can also increase the water content of muscles, called cell volume increase, which can quickly increase muscle size.
In addition, some studies have shown that creatine can reduce levels of myostatin, a molecule that inhibits muscle growth, and lowering myostatin levels helps build muscle faster.
→ improve high-intensity exercise performance
Because of the direct effect of creatine on ATP, it will greatly improve high-intensity exercise performance.
Creatine can also improve many factors, including strength, sprint ability, muscular endurance, fatigue resistance, muscle mass, recovery, and brain performance, among others, and one review study found that creatine can improve high-intensity exercise performance by up to 15%.
In addition, some fitness supplements are only effective for high-level athletes, while creatine is more common for everyone's exercise enhancement, and additional creatine supplementation will benefit people with different fitness levels.
→ accelerates muscle growth
Creatine is the most effective muscle building supplement, and taking creatine for as little as 5-7 days can significantly increase lean mass and muscle size.
This initial growth is mainly caused by the increase in muscle hydration, and long-term use of creatine can promote the growth of muscle fibers.
In a 6-week training program study, participants who used creatine experienced a significant increase in muscle mass compared to the control group, gaining an average of 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) of muscle mass per person.
→ helps improve Parkinson's
Parkinson's disease is characterized by reduced levels of dopamine, an important neurotransmitter in the brain.
A large drop in dopamine levels can lead to brain cell death, and some serious symptoms, including tremors, loss of muscle function, and speech disorders.
In animal studies, creatine has been associated with beneficial effects in mice with Parkinson's disease, and creatine can reduce dopamine levels in mice by up to 90%, however, the role of creatine in humans requires further research.
Creatine can reduce some of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease by improving muscle strength and function, and to treat loss of muscle function and strength, people with Parkinson's disease often undergo weight training.
In a study of individuals with the condition, creatine combined with weight training resulted in better recovery of strength and daily movements than training alone.
→ fight other neurological disorders
A key factor in several neurological disorders is a decrease in phosphocreatine in the brain.
Creatine can increase phosphocreatine levels, so it may help reduce or slow disease progression.
This restorative function of creatine phosphate helps maintain daily function in patients, and animal studies have shown that taking creatine supplements can also treat other conditions, including:
Alzheimer's disease;
Ischemic stroke;
Epilepsy;
Brain or spinal cord injury;
Creatine has also shown benefits for amyotrophic sclerosis, a disease that affects motor neurons, which are essential for movement.
While more research is needed in humans, researchers believe that creatine supplements, when used in conjunction with traditional medicines, can improve neurological disorders' ability to fight off disease, reduce symptoms and progression of neurological disorders, and improve patient life expectancy.
→ lower blood sugar levels and fight diabetes
Studies have shown that creatine supplements can lower blood sugar levels by increasing the function of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT-4), a molecule that carries blood sugar into muscles.
A 12-week study examined how creatine affected high-carbohydrate postprandial blood glucose levels, and participants who combined creatine and exercise had faster postprandial blood sugar return to normal and better blood sugar control compared to exercise-only controls.
Postprandial blood sugar is an important marker of diabetes risk, and the faster the body clears sugar from the blood, the better, creatine can help lower postprandial blood sugar levels, but further research is needed on the long-term effects of creatine on blood sugar.
→ improves brain function
Creatine plays an important role in brain health and function, and the brain needs large amounts of ATP when performing difficult tasks.
Creatine can increase phosphocreatine stores in the brain to help it produce more ATP, and creatine can also provide the brain with additional energy by increasing dopamine levels and mitochondrial function.
Since meat is the main source of creatine, creatine levels are usually lower for vegetarians. A study on the use of creatine supplements by vegetarians found that some subjects had 20-50% improvement in memory and intelligence test scores.
For older adults, creatine supplementation for 2 weeks significantly improves memory and recall.
In older adults, creatine can enhance brain function, prevent neurological disorders, and reduce age-related muscle and strength loss.
→ can reduce fatigue
Creatine may reduce symptoms of fatigue and tiredness by providing your brain with extra energy and increasing dopamine levels.
In a 6-month study of patients with traumatic brain injury, patients supplemented with creatine experienced a 50% reduction in dizziness, and in addition, only 10% of subjects supplemented with creatine experienced fatigue, compared with 80% of controls.
Another study found that creatine can reduce fatigue and increase energy levels during sleep deprivation during sleep deprivation.
Creatine can also reduce fatigue when athletes who take bike tests work out in hot environments.
→ is cheap, safe and easy to use
In addition to the various benefits of creatine, it is one of the cheapest and safest supplements, known as the most cost-effective supplement, with a variety of brands of creatine available online that are easy to buy.
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