Creatine Essay Example For Students

Creatine Essay If, about 5 years ago,you were to tell an athlete there was a supplement (which was not an anabolicsteroid or other bodybuilding drug) that would help bodybuilders and athletespack on as much as 10 rock-hard pounds of muscular bodyweight (which could leadto better performance for athletes) in less then 2 weeks; increase their benchpress by 25 lbs. (which also would help in enhancing performance) in a mere 10days; get a pump like you were loaded on Dianabol(Phillips 48) (apump that last for hours and hours which helps in muscle development); and, allthe while, help you run faster, jump higher, recover from exercise more quickly,they would probably tell you to get lost. Well all these facts and more have nowbeen proven to be effective on athletes. Creatine is the safest, mosteffective supplement out on the market today, says Ron Terjung, aphysiology professor at the University of Missouri. Millions of men are buyingthe dietary supplement, hoping it is the magic pill that can transform them fromscrawny to brawny. Creatine has made a strong impact on the athletic worldgiving many an edge on the competition and enhancing athletic performance. Thediscovery of Creatine leads back to 1832. A French scientist named Chevreul,identified a naturally occurring organic compound in meat and then was laterfound to be manufactured by the liver, kidneys and pancreas using three aminoacids. The scientist named the compound Creatine after the greek word forflesh(Phillips 8). Creatine is a compound that is naturally made in our bodiesto supply energy to our muscles. It is an energy rich metabolite that is foundmainly in muscle tissue. It is responsible for supplying the muscle with energyduring exercise. Chemically, it is called Methylguanido-acid. Creatine is formedfrom the three amino acids, argentine, methionine, and glycogen that undergo achemical process to form Creatine. Creatine is manufactured in the liver and maybe produced in the pancreas and kidneys. It is transported th rough the blood andtaken up by muscle cell, where it is converted into Creatine phosphate; alsocalled phosphocreatine. This reaction involves the enzyme Creatine kinase thathelps bond Creatine to a high-energy phosphate group. Once Creatine is bound toa phosphate group, it is permanently stored in a cell as phosphocreatine untilit is used to produce chemical energy called Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). ATPthen loses a phosphate group and becomes Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP). Creatine,when present in the muscle in sufficient amounts donates a phosphate group toADP and it rapidly retransform to ATP, which is immediately available to themuscle to be used for a fuel for exercise. During brief explosive-typeexercises, the energy supplied to rephosphorylate adenosine diphosphate (ADP) toadenosine triphosphate (ATP) is determined largely by the amount ofphosphocreatine stored in the muscle. As phosphocreatine stores become depleted,performance is likely to rapidly deteriorate, due to the ina bility toresynthesize ATP at the rate required. Since the availability ofphosphocreatine stores in the muscle may significantly influence the amount ofenergy generated during brief periods of high intensity exercise, it has beenhypothesized that increasing muscle creatine through creatine supplementationmay increase the availability of phosphocreatine and allow for an acceleratedrate of resynthesis of ATP during and following high intensity, short durationexercises(Kreider 1). ATP is the primary source of fuel for muscularexercise. It is used before sugars (carbohydrates) and before fats. When musclesare used to lift weight, run or perform any type of work the ATP is broken downto ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and energy is released. The amount of ATP storedin the muscles will only fuel a maximum effort such as lifting a weight for 10to 15 seconds. After that, the muscle must rely on Creatine Phosphate to restockits supply of ATP. Increasing the muscles supply of Creatine phosphate he lpsincrease the rate in which the body can supply ATP. This increases the musclecapacity to do work and improves the energy level of the muscles. Typically, theaverage person metabolizes about two grams of Creatine per day, and the bodynormally synthesizes that same amount; thus, you generally maintain a Creatinebalance (Bamberger 59), but it is not uncommon for an athlete to have whatis called Creatine deficiency.(Phillips 15) which is not being able tocreate enough Creatine on your own. In these cases through a more balanced dietor by supplementing Creatine in their diet they regain the balance. This leadsto a point that proves in one way how Creatine has an advantage on enhancingathletes performance. Creatine is naturally found in foods. For example, theaverage helping of beef or fish contains about 1 gram of naturally occurringCreatine. Unfortunately, Creatine is very sensitive to heat and cookingvirtually destroys the effectiveness of Creatine. The amount of Creatine neededdepe nds on the athletes body weight and on the number of days Creatine has beensupplemented. Creatine should be loaded in relatively high amounts for the firstsix days of supplementation and then may be taken in daily dosage whilemaintaining positive performance. Creatine can bind water to the muscle givingan athlete a more muscular appearance. Competitive bodybuilders usually dropCreatine supplementation two weeks prior to a show to insure maximum definitionand vascularity. Creatine has not yet been definitely linked to any adversehealth effects, and thus has very few side effects. One side effect usuallycaused by over-dosage which some have complained about is stomach cramps. Reporting for forced girl in baidabo region EssayInnumerable ordinary weekend athletes use it. Its everywhere (Bamberger62). When I was a sophomore in high school, I was first introduced to thismiracle drug called creatine. Many of the guys on the football teamwere taking this, and soon did I. I did not really know what this white powderysubstance was, but all I know is that it seemed to jump my weight up 10 poundswithin about three weeks. My weightlifting maxs seemed to be increasing and Iwas full of energy. Some of us would load just before a footballgame to give us that extra boost of energy. To us, it seemed like legal steroidswith no side effects. Creatine seemed to improve performance for short-durationactivities like our 40 times, bursting off the snap of the ball, and ourweightlifting maxs. What I found was in order to make creatine effective, youmust work out at least three times a week consistently. Most people do notnotice any difference until about three weeks into the cycle. A recent studyfollowed 19 men who lifted weights regularly over 12 weeks. Those takingcreatine registered an average 6.3 percent gain in fat-free body mass, comparedwith a 3.1 percent gain in those not taking the supplement(Timberline 1). In1981, an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine by Dr. l. Silila. Reported that supplementation with Creatine in a group of patientssuffering from a condition called Gyrate Atrophy (a genetic ailment of the eyescaused by a metabolic inability to efficiently metabolize ornithine andsynthesize Creatine). Improved the test subjects strength, increased theirbodyweight by ten percent, and partially reversed the Type II muscle fiberatrophy associated with this disease(Silila 867). One athlete in this group oftest subjects improved his best time in the 100-meter sprint by two seconds. In1993, a study peer reviewed and published in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine,Science and sports (Balsom 143) demonstrated that Creatine supplementation couldsignificantly increase body mass (in only one week) and that it was responsiblefor improved performance in high-intensity intermittent exercise. Over the past4 years, at least 20 separate university studies have demonstrated that Creatinemonohydrate supplementation increases athletic performance; strength;recu peration; speed in the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter sprints. A lot of factual,scientifically proven data shows Creatine monohydrate works. It produces fastand significant results even in the most rigorous trials(Casey 31). The goal ofthe bodybuilder and most athletes is to use progressive resistance exercise toforce the muscles to adapt and grow in size and strength. This increasedworkload or progressive resistance can be achieved in several ways: byincreasing the force of contraction through increased resistance such as whenlifting a heavier weight, by increasing the duration of time that the muscle isunder tension or contracted, and by increasing the frequency of exercise. Creatine helps in all three ways: it helps build lean body mass which allowsstill greater force to be used; provides energy so the duration of exercise orwork can be lengthened; and speeds recovery, so exercise frequency can beincreased. I have also personally benefited from the use of Creatine. I havebenefited from all of the above, but have also gained more personal respect andconfidence for myself from the results I have accomplished with the use ofCreatine. BibliographyBalsom, P. Creatine Supplementation and Dynamic High-IntensityIntermittent Exercise. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine, Science andsports 3 (1993): 143-149. Bamberger, Michael. The Magic Potion.Sports Illustrated 4 (1998): 58-61. Casey, A. Creatine SupplementationFavorably Affects Performance and Muscle Metabolism During Maximal IntensityExercise in Human. American Journal of Physiology 271 (1996): 31-37. Creatine. Available online. Address. http://www.vitamin-planet.com/nutrition/creatine.htmCreatine Monohydrate Frequently Asked Questions. Available online. Address. http://www.rnlist.utl.pt/~rmlbgs/atpfaq.tex Phillips, Bill. Sports SupplementsReview. Golden, Colorado: Mile High Publishing, 1996 Kreider, B. Richard. CreatineSupplementation. (Internet) http://www.afpafitness.com/Creatine3.htmlSilila, I. Supplementary Creatine as a Treatment for Gyrate Atrophy of theChoroid and Retina. New England journal of Medicine 304 (1981):867-870.(Internet) Timberline, David. Muscles for Sale: Is Creatine Rightfor You? (Internet) http://www.accenthealth.com/mh/intheknow/1999/creatine.htmlWhat is the Deal with Creatine? Available online. Address. http://www.powersupplement.com/creatine.htmHealth Care