Creatine is a natural substance present in the bodies of all mammals.It is an amino acid derivative that's formed in the liver, kidneys and pancreas from the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. Many animal foods such as red meat and fish contain creatine. However, the creatine concentrations in food are small. One kilogram of beef contains only one gram of creatine. So, getting the average daily dose of creatine, five grams, through whole foods is unreasonable. Therefore, only supplementation yields optimal levels of dietary creatine without excess fat and calories.
Creatine works by aiding in the body's production of ATP which is the fuel for short, intense energy bursts. ATP is used in sports like baseball, football, and weightlfting. Creatine enhances athletic performance. Most creatine resides in the muscle tissue and fuels ATP production when the muscles need short bursts of energy for activities like weightlifting or sprinting. In the same study mentioned above a group of college football players consumed a supplement containing 15.7 grams of creatine in a solution of glucose, taurine, sodium, and potassium phosphate every day for twenty-eight days. During the twenty-eight day period the men took part in a strength training and sprint training program. At the end of the supplementation period the men taking creatine had greater gains in lean mass, better total lifting volumes, and showed an average fifty-one percent increase in sprinting performance compared to athletes who did not use creatine.
Numerous scientific studies exist which show creatine’s safety. In one recent study a group of college football players consumed a supplement containing 15.7 grams of creatine (a very high dose) in a solution of glucose, taurine, sodium, and potassium phosphate every day for twenty-eight days. After the twenty-eight day period blood tests showed that all parameters of the blood remained within normal limits and revealed no adverse effects on the subjects’ livers. No known mechanisms exist that would lead scientists to believe that creatine would harm the liver or any other bodily organ over a prolonged supplementation period.
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