Creatine Monohydrate Supplements

About Creatine Monohydrate Supplements

Creatine monohydrate is an evidence-based sports nutrition supplements that has stood the test of time. It is enhance muscle phosphocreatine and free creatine levels, creatine is particularly useful for power-based exercises and high-intensity training. Phosphocreatine is a natural anaerobic energy creator, as oxygen is not required for the generation of ATP (energy) via this pathway.

Phosphocreatine donates a phosphorus molecule to ADP, rebuilding the energy molecule backup to ATP (adenosine triphosphate) in muscle. However, we only have a limited supply of phosphocreatine and free creatine inside the muscle cell. Natural reserves become depleted around ten seconds into any maximal-effort exercise. After this, aerobic energy pathways are more heavily relied upon, such as glycolysis and beta-oxidation, which burn glucose and fat. 

Creatine monohydrate entered the market in the early 1900s after its original extraction from meat by Michel Eugene Chevreul in 1832. Countless research papers have been published confirming the benefits of this tripeptide. Creatine is synthesized from the amino acids arginine, methionine (as s-adenosylmethionine) and glycine. We typically produce around 1 gram of creatine per day and consume 1-2 grams from dietary sources (meat and fish), unless following a vegan or vegetarian diet. Dosages are typically 5 grams daily, which can be consumed with a carbohydrate or sugar source to create an insulin surge, which facilitates the uptake into muscle tissue. Larger athletes, especially with minimal dietary intakes, may benefit from taking up to 10 grams daily.

Creatine Monohydrate Benefits

A review article published in 2017 by Sports Medicine examined 53 studies, assessing performance with creatine supplementation versus placebo. The researchers concluded that creatine supplementation is effective for upper-limb strength performance, ideally for exercises that last up to 3 minutes. This is interesting, given that the phosphocreatine energy pathway is only put into significant use for intense exercises lasting around 10 seconds. This may be due to the competitive and psychological advantages obtained from enhanced performance towards the start of a short to medium duration event, such as an 800m run or 2km sculling race. 

Given that creatine plays such an important role in ATP synthesis, it is no surprise that other areas of the body respond favourably to supplementation. Research has indicated that creatine assists with improving mood, intelligence and working memory. With so many new and interesting creatine products available, a quality micronized pure creatine powder is still the best, which is the same as micronized creatine monohydrate.