That post the other day on creatine got me thinking about it again. I had not taken it for about a year or so. It usually makes me gain a bit of weight but also gives me cramps.
The research seems to indicate that it is safe and effective with lots of benefits apart from those related to sports performance.
I found some of the comments on the Heart Scan Blog post about creatine to be interesting - lost of positive testimony.
The comment to this blog about the benefit in terms of muscle soreness was timely too. I've been very sore after a Krav Maga session this week!
Anyway I am taking creatine again (despite what I wrote here) for a while to see how it goes.
(Update, Mike points out other recent research)
The research seems to indicate that it is safe and effective with lots of benefits apart from those related to sports performance.
I found some of the comments on the Heart Scan Blog post about creatine to be interesting - lost of positive testimony.
The comment to this blog about the benefit in terms of muscle soreness was timely too. I've been very sore after a Krav Maga session this week!
Anyway I am taking creatine again (despite what I wrote here) for a while to see how it goes.
(Update, Mike points out other recent research)
Comments
I did a post about a creatine study and it's glycogen sparing effects a few days back that you might be interested in:
http://confessionsofacrossfitcoach.blogspot.com/2010/01/creatine-take-2-50lbs-of-beef-and-using.html
I really don't think you need as much creatine as popular opinion says. Maybe a lower doseage like this will help with the side effects?
I ran across something on a social anxiety forum about an association between homocysteine and anxiety. One of the treatments the poster had come across for high homocysteine was creatine.
"Each day, the average individual loses, depending on muscle mass, 10 to 15 millimoles of creatine due to spontaneous degradation to creatinine. Biosynthesis of creatine, to replace that loss, involves two enzyme-catalyzed reactions. In the first reaction, the amidino group of arginine is transferred to glycine, forming guanidinoacetate and ornithine. In the second reaction, a methyl group is transferred from SAM to guanidinoacetate to form creatine and S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). SAH is subsequently hydrolyzed to adenosine and Hcy, thus generating one molecule of Hcy for each molecule of creatine synthesized. It has been estimated that creatine biosynthesis could potentially account for up to 75% of daily Hcy production"
Maybe some of the problem with high homocysteine levels isn't with the presence of the substance itself, it's accused of oxidizing ldl cholesterol, for example-- but as a marker showing that the body isn't keeping up well with production of creatine, or some other important substance.
Its about 3 weeks back on the creatine, are you seeing much benefit so far?
matt
A problem is that I've been injured with a back spams over the last 2 weeks so I am not sure what is really going on.
The creatine has disturbed my digestion a bit too. On an empty stomach it has lead to very loose stools so I am making sure to take it after meals only.
I'll only take it after food and on workout days (Weight training and Muay Thai), I have noticed a difference with the weights, particularly pushing through some heavy stuff, often get a surge of power through the toughest part of the lifts. Not always so it maybe placebo, but so far so good.
matt