CREATINE: Hazardous or Healthy?
In sports today, everyone is looking for that extra advantage to enhance their performance, and to compete harder and stronger than their opponent. Creatine has become a major part of many athletes weight training and conditioning programs in the past few years. Many people have different opinions as to whether or not this substance should be used. After researching the topic of Creatine, I have concluded that there is nothing wrong with taking the supplement called Creatine.
The supplement, known as Creatine or “Nature’s Steroid”, is the latest craze of the movement, and is selling over 100 million dollars in profit each year. “Creatine is a natural substance that was first discovered by a French Chemist named Chevreul” (Higher Power Creatine Web page). It is found in its highest form in lean red muscle tissue of animals and humans in the form of Creatine Phosphate. “Creatine must be combined with exercise to get an effect. When muscles are used to lift a weight, or perform any type of work, ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) is quickly broken down to ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate) and energy is released. The amount of ATP stored in the muscle must rely on Creatine to restock its supply of ATP. This cycle is repeated throughout the training period. Therefore, the addition of supplementary creatine allows the duration of the body’s maximum effort to increase. Which basically means you can lift more weight for a longer period of time”(Applegate 25). Muscles will only increase in size when stimulated by a greater workload. For example, before one was using a Creatine supplement, he or she was bench-pressing 170 pounds, for 3 sets with 8 repetitions each set. With use of Creatine one is able to bench press 180 pounds, for 3 sets with ten repetitions per set. Thus, enhancing performance, and gradually increasing overall strength and muscle mass.
The one major concern about Creatine is if it is harmful, and the type of side affects that may occur from its use. “Creatine is a natural, safe substance that already exists in the human body. Its function is to provide the body with energy reserves. Reports have also shown that it is not an addictive substance, like tobacco. Creatine is safe for both sexes. Common side eff...
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...efore exercise”(Fitness Pros Bodybuilding Web page). This gives the Creatine time to get to the muscle.
There are two periods in which one takes Creatine. “The Loading period, in which he or she takes 2 to 4 full teaspoons per day spaced throughout the day, for a weeks time. The purpose of the Loading phase is to overdose the body with the supplement, which allows maximum absorption. After Loading is done one has to maintain or regulate the amount of Creatine in their system. The recommended Maintenance period includes taking 1 to 2 full teaspoons daily, for as long as one continues using the supplement”(Fitness Pros Bodybuilding Web page). Through my research, I found that these periods varied, but this program was the most consistent.
To conclude, Creatine or “Nature’s Steroid”, is an over the counter dietary supplement that helps build lean muscle mass, and shortens recovery time between workouts. Its side effects are nowhere near life threatening, and the supplement is natural and already in our muscles. Creatine is a legal, healthy way to enhance muscular strength and endurance in the striving athletes of the world.
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.
Having finally resolved to work out at the gym, you sweat and toil for weeks on end only to look in the mirror and see little to show for it. It's the paradox of the New Year's resolution exerciser. Seeing physical results can help exercisers stay true to their fitness programs, yet for many it takes months to achieve noticeable muscle changes. Creatine Monohydrate has become the most popular supplement in the world among individuals interested in body-building and fitness. As you probably know creatine (usually in the form of creatine monohydrate) is a supplement taken to enhance anaerobic performance. Creatine Monohydrate is a white, odorless crystalline powder, clear and colorless in solution. With its popularity, you may find creatine at any health or sport product retailer. It sells for roughly $35 a bottle, and is distributed by many manufacturers.
Creatine monohydrate is a body building supplement. Many athletes and trainers use it to enhance athletic performance. College athletics are an advocate for creatine when it comes to exercising and strength conditioning, But what is creatine? Creatine is a naturally occurring metabolite found in red muscle tissue. It is a powerful ergogenic aid that plays an important role in energizing muscle.
Scientists, researchers, and doctors have conducted many studies involving the use of anabolic steroids. These studies have been conducted on various athletes of different sexes and also involving many different sports. Comparison has also been made with athletes using anabolic steroids and those who do not use. A comparison has also been made using anabolic steroids compared to creatine.
Background on Creatine What is Creatine When I think of Creatine I don’t think of a body building supplement I think of an aid to recuperation. Like an aspirin you take if you have a headache, an athlete takes Creatine if they have chronic sore muscles from continuously working out. Creatine is a compound that can be made in our body. It is taken as a strength supplement. The chemical name for Creatine is methyl guanidine-acetic acid. The organ that produces the bodies Creatine is the liver. The amount of natural Creatine in the body can be increased or decreased depending on our diet(Absolute). How much Creatine do we have in our body? A 160-pound person would have approximately 120 grams of Creatine stored in their body (The Beg…). The reason Creatine is such a hot commodity is because 95-98% of the Creatine in our body is stored in our muscles.
Supplements when it comes to working out are considered performance enhancing drugs. Creatine is one of the most widely used supplements on the market today. Other major supplements are protein, amino acids, and fish oil pills. Essentially, when someone is lifting weights they will take supplements to help build up muscle and to add weight. Ultimately, creatine ends up as water weight. On the back of a creatine label, it clearly states to drink an ample amount of water when consuming. Creatine can be good and bad for the human body, but is taking creatine for the purpose of working out worth the risk?
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
1. Creatine is a natural nutrient found in our bodies and the bodies of most animals.
The use of steroids and performance enhancing drugs is a common trend that is currently fascinating athletes all over the world. Athletes who are using these drugs are damaging the sport and harming their bodies at the same time. Seeking a greater athletic physique and ability, athletes turned to the use of steroids. Once the dangers and possible health risks arose, athletes then turned to performance enhancers. Two specific supplements have taken the sports world by storm and now are being used by athletes of all ages. They are androstenedione and creatine. It took years until people began to understand how dangerous steroids really were. These performance enhancers, like androstenedione and creatine are going to produce the same results.
Creatine is one the most common sports supplement out there. But readers need to know what it is, and how it works before putting it in their bodies. Creatine is found in foods like steak, and is naturally produced in the body by the liver and kidneys. Skeletal muscle contains 95% of all creatine. The heart, brain and testes hold the remaining 5%. The claim that this article is making is supplementing with creatine while being engaged in a rigorous weight training regiment will increase muscular strength, size, and performance.
Introduction: How many of you go to the gym to workout? How many of you are student-athletes who are concerned about your athletic performance? Now how many of you used health supplements such as creatine to build lean body mass and muscle? Did you know that creatine can be bad for your long term health?
Much to athletes' delight, a new promising product, creatine, has recently appeared on the market. Creatine is a substance found in meats and synthesized by the human body but the latest craze is over artificially made creatine. Many athletes take it in hopes of increasing their strength, speed, or endurance. Althoug h the initial results of creatine testing were very positive, showing potential to help athletes increase their strength and speed, new evidence shows that creatine is not as perfect of a nutritional supplement as it once appeared to be. Creatine supplementation is now being linked to several hazardous side effects in the body and even its effectiveness has come into question. The use of creatine supplements by athletes is a dangerous wa y to enhance performance and should be regulated or banned.
When we reaffirm our faith in the lord, we often use the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed. Unlike other churches who gives out the Holy Communion without confirming and baptizing the person, the Presbyterian Church makes sure the person has been baptized and confirmed in the lord, before they will be given the Holy Communion, also the person has to learn how to recite the apostle creed very well in order to be confirmed to. The term Communion is derived from the practice of early Christians. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 10:16). Communion is understood as a common participation in a divine Christian life that a person lives in Christ, because it is initiated by Christ and before they take the Communion, the recites the Apostle’s Creed and then take the Communion. Communion in Presbyterian Church is always taken every first Sunday of every month. The Apostles' Creeds in a response to whether or not Jesus Christ could be both divine and human. The c Apostles' Creed reinforces the historical life of Jesus the Christ, stating the fact that he was "born of the virgin Mary," that he suffered "under Pontius Pilate and that he "was crucified, dead, and buried." The
How does Creatine affect your body? Creatine affects our body in several different ways. Creatine can provide additional energy for your muscles, volumization of your muscles, buffer lactic acid build-up, and enhance protein synthesis. Creatine can also help stimulate growth in muscles and increase the user's strength, even while doing your normal workouts. Creatine can also be taken in a variety of ways.
...You need to be hydrated to keep your body going and just to keep your body healthy. Steroids will enhance your body up to three times the size you started. Steroids sometimes will cause swelling in your brain and leave you with a severe high blood pressure. They will leave some people excessively aggressive or suicidal. “Using steroids for building muscles is not only wrong but is illegal.’’ (V.M. Katoch). Non-competitive body building is very healthy because all of the nutrients and healthy diets they put themselves on to accomplish their goal. “Look at all the diets that just banish and eliminate and demonize entire food groups, or they starve you with 1000, or 800 or 600 calories a day, or they restrict you to nothing but lemon water or vegetable juice. That kind of dieting is unhealthy.” (Venuto Tom). Body building is overall not healthy for you and your body.