Review of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation

Creatine is an amino acid. It is synthesized in the body from arginine, glycine, and methionine. Creatine is vital for power generation in the muscles. In the body, it forms creatine phosphate, or phosphocreatine, depending on who you ask. Creatine phosphate is necessary for the regeneration of ATP, adenosine triphosphate, in the muscles. Without adenosine triphosphate, muscular contraction can not be done.

Creatine, naturally, is found in foods, especially steak. An average 8 ounce steak might have a little less than a gram of creatine in it. Creatine is necessary; the average person needs about 2 grams of creatine every day to have proper muscle function. Stronger, more muscular, people might have a need to intake more. Technically, creatine phopshate or phosphocreatine is really only "fuel" for your fuel. When your muscles contract hard, some of the adenosine triphosphate in them is reverted to adenosine diphosphate, ADP. Creatine phosphate is crucial, because it provides a phosphate group to the ADP, allowing it to be regenerated into ATP.

Because of this, more power can be generated, and power can be generated longer, with use of creatine monohydrate supplements.

For an athlete, creatine can provide energy that would allow them to work longer, harder, and thusly become more physically capable through the regular muscular and neuromuscular adaptations one undergoes when working out intensely.

But for a sedentary individual, there is not likely to be much or any benefit. Some individuals try to supplement with creatine monohydrate under the guise that it will make them stronger without work and that it will give them more definition. To those people: Creatine is not steroids. It's actually natural, and requires that you actually do something in order for you to reap its benefits.

When taking creatine, it is important to consider what you want. Significant strength gain has been noted when taking large doses of creatine monohydrate, such as 20 to 30 grams a day.

This can get quite expensive, however. Besides, smaller doses over longer periods of time have been shown to be as effective, though results may take a little while to be very significant.

Caution, however: Creatine supplementation can sometimes result in dehydration if you don't drink enough water with it.

There have been anecdotal reports of it causing muscle cramps and even tears, though I have had nothing but good experiences with it.