The Safety and Benefits of Creatine
Topic: The Safety and Benefits of Creatine
General Purpose: To inform
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience of the safety of creatine use and also to inform them of the benefits creatine use can provide.
Central Idea: Many people are misinformed on the subject of creatine use and exactly what it is and what creatine can do.
Organizational Pattern: Topical
Introduction
I. How would you like to be able to increase your strength or even increase your bench press by 25 pounds in less then ten days? Or how about improving your endurance. What if I were to say this can be accomplished without taking any harmful or illegal substances. These types of results have been recorded with the use of the supplement creatine.
II. I first became interested in weight training when I was in high school. After poor gains from weight training alone I stumbled upon the keys to success, proper nutrition and supplementation. Creatine is a supplement I have used for awhile and strongly believe it has accelerated my strength and size gains. In three and a half years amount of time I have gained 62 pounds from 153 at the beginning of my senior year in high school to currently 215 pounds.
III. Today, I will explain how creatine use can be beneficial and also safe to use with no harmful side effects. Also, I hope to inform you of what and how natural the substance creatine really is.
Body
I. How many people here have heard creatine is bad for you, or heard stories of creatine hurting someone who has taken it?
A. Many studies have been performed on creatine to determine if there are any adverse side effects from creatine consumption when taken at an amount of 3-5 grams.
II. Creatine is a natural occurring substance. Ray Sahelian MD has done extensive research on creatine.
A. Sahelian states “Creatine is not an herb, mineral, vitamin, hormone, or steroid.”
1. Creatine is a natural nutrient found in our bodies and the bodies of most animals.
2. Approximately 95% of the body’s creatine supply is found in the skeletal muscles.
B. Creatine is easily absorbed through the intestinal tract and into the bloodstream.
1. Creatine production occurs in the liver, pancreas and kidneys.
C. From Sahelian study it is easy to see that creatine is a natural substance found in food. By taking creatine as a supplement all you are doing is increasing the amount of natural creatine the body has.
III. Creatine is not only safe but has also been found to be beneficial for overall health.
Creatine is one of the most popular sports supplements on the market and is used by bodybuilders, and athletes. It is an amino acid, like the building blocks that makes up proteins. It is also an important store of energy in muscle cells. Creatine is a natural nutrient found in our bodies and in the bodies of most animals. It can also be found in the form of a powder and sold as a supplement. Creatine is categorized as a food supplement by the Food and Drug Administration, like a vitamin and is available over the counter at drug stores and nutrition centers. Approximately 95% of the body’s creatine supply is found in the skeletal muscles. The remaining 5% of creatine is scattered throughout the rest of the body, with the highest concentration in the heart, brain, and testes. The human body gets most of the creatine it needs from food or dietary supplements.
3. Effects of resistance training and Chromioum Picolinate on body composition and skelatal muscle in older men by, Campbell WW., Joseph LJ., Davey SL., Cyr-Campbell D., Anderson RA., and Evans WJ.. JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY. 86(1): 29-39,1999 January.
For many years, the world’s foremost studies of creatine and its effect on athletic performance were carried out in secrecy by communist Eastern-bloc countries. But after the fall of Communism, the training and experimental drugs used on Soviet and East German Olympic athletes was revealed. Aside from exposing the truth about illegal anabolic steroid use, there was the discovery of a "vitamin" called creatine, which was quickly introduced to the U.S. and marketed as an ergogenic, or energy-enhancing supplement.
Kuhn, C., Swartzwelder, S., and Wilson, W. Pumped: Straight Facts for Athletes about Drugs, Supplements, and Training. 2000. W.W. Norton, New York and London.
Primarily lifters and athletes take creatine to get ahead of the competition. In an article written by Nancy Ling, she mentions how in the Olympic games from 1964-1994 Soviet Union powerlifters consumed creatine to get an edge on the competition and had great success from it. ("Creatine? Is It Worth the Risk?"). Also in the article, Nancy stressed the importance of taking the correct amount of creatine because it can help prevent kidney and liver problems. On the other side, consuming creatine can be dangerous if you are prone to having seizures, blood clots, or cardiac
Creatine is produced by the body and stored in all kinds of muscles such as the heart, diaphragm, and all visible muscles. Creatine’s role is to
Creatine serves as an energy reserve in muscle cells. Muscular contraction is powered by the breakdown of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) to ADP (adenosinediphosphate). When all the ATP is broken down, creatine phosphate in the muscle donates a phosphate group to ADP, and further energy reactions can occur. Creatine monohydrate is a precursor to creatine phosphate. By supplementing with CM, CP levels in muscle apparently are maximized, and more muscular work can occur, since there are greater energy reserves to use.
Creatine has been used in sports throughout time. Athletes have always had a fascination with being excellent at what they do. With the banning of steroids from competitive sports and the implementation of random drug testing in most sports, most athletes are still somehow hoping to gain an edge on their competition. This edge that they are using is creatine.
Abstract: Since the beginning of sports competition, athletes have always looked for some kind of an edge over their competitors. They will do whatever it takes to be one of the elite and that includes injecting supplements into their bodies to make them bigger, stronger, and faster. Steroid use is probably one of the most common drug misuses in sports competition. Athletes found that with anabolic steroids one could become a better athlete twice as fast. Not until 1975 was the drug first banned from Olympic competition because of the health risks it produced. Shortly thereafter, the rest of the sports world did not allow anabolic steroids as well. With the use of steroids no longer permitted athletes began to look for other alternatives. On the rise is two substances called creatine and androstenedione, both of which are sold over the counter. These two performance enhancers have only had minimal testing done on them, excluding the long-term effects, simply because they haven't been around long enough. Creatine and androstenedione have been said to produce results like steroids without the side effects. The truth is they do produce side effects and irregular muscle growth. By banning the use of performance enhancing drugs, just like steroids, sports competition will have a much healthier and fairer environment to participate in.
According to Lilienfeld and Landfield (2008) the most notable indications of a pseudoscientific claim are, “evasion of peer review, over reliance on testimonial and anecdotal evidence, and extravagant claims” (p. 1218). ANA’s claims, regarding C9-T11, contains the top three indicators of a false pseudoscientific claim. Firstly, ANA cites numerous research articles that apparently support their claims of improved muscle gain; however, there are no links to the actual publications. Secondly, ANA claims that C9-T11 causes 600% muscle gain in 6 weeks, which is impossible from my own experience because I have been working out for over 3 years.Thirdly, ANA uses plenty of testimonial’s in an attempt to prove it’s point. In conclusion, ANA could fool the average person that C9-T11 is a substance that boosts muscle growth; however, if the person has ever stepped foot in a gym or studied science, he or she would not be fooled due the numerous indicators that ANA’s claims are
Lukaszuk, J. Robertson, R. and Arch, J. (2002). Effect of creatine supplementation and a lacto-Ovo-vegetarian diet on muscle creatine concentration. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 12(3), pp.336-337.
Gordon, Kevin. The.. Personal Interview. 7 May 1998. Jenkins, Mark A. & Co. Creatine Supplementation in Athletes: A Review." (1998) Online. -.
They often promise to make a person more muscular, super energized, smarter, and/or thinner. Just because they are natural or herbal doesn't mean they are safe or even that they live up to their claims. People always want to ask their doctor before taking any dietary supplement and can choose wisely. Some supplements can interact with other medications and/or have other side effects. They can range from a variety of products. These products include, but are not limited to: multivitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbs. Others come from natural sources, like plants, then there are others that are man-made. They come in a variety of forms like capsules, pills, gel tabs, liquid, tinctures, extracts, and powder. However, supplements are not tested by their sellers for product safety and their purity standard before putting them onto the
A lot of people are trying to build muscles in their body by working out. They work out by lifting heavy weights. However, when working out to building muscle, one needs to consume healthy foods and more proteins. After finishing a workout, the muscles in the body have microscopic tears to form in the fiber and connective tissues. This will cause the muscles to be tired and damaged. To repair the muscle, consume healthy foods and more protein. When one get enough foods in the body, the muscles will use the nutrients from the foods consumed and slowly rebuild, resulting in muscles in the body to increase size, strength, and muscle capacity. When I was in grade 9, I started to lift weight and I was new to it. After a few days of working out my body was experiencing any change. I realized that the reason my body was not experiencing change is because of what I was eating. I was not eating much protein and healthy foods. Later I started to eat foods that contain high protein and then I started to experience change, my muscles were getting bigger and stronger. Foods that contain high in protein can help to build muscles such as cottage cheese, chicken breast, whole eggs, canned tuna, etc. So therefore, having enough protein is the main key in order to build
When I first began to exercise, I was primarily trying to add size on to my body. At the time I only weighed about one hundred sixty pounds and I was six foot one inch. I was also eight teen and feeling that my lack of participating in school sporting events, as well as my abuse of alcohol and less than ideal food choices, had stunted my physical potential. With this new found feeling of inadequacy I set off on a journey that would change my life forever. The first thing I noticed when I began searching for ways to change my body, was that I was obviously going to have to buy weights if I wanted to look like the guys in the gym. So I set out and purchased the cheapest bench and set of weights I could find. I began to mimic exercises that I had seen people do on television or while walking past the gym. In a period of about a month I had already noticed a huge difference in the amount of weight that I could lift. Within the first year of unorganized lifting, as well as no change to my eating habits, I h...