Creatine supplements: What are the potential benefits of creatine?

Creatine supplements are commonly used for a variety of reasons. Often, they are used to boost exercise performance and increase muscle mass, however, they can also be beneficial in preventing fatigue, reducing muscle cramps, and managing depression and multiple sclerosis.

What is creatine?

Creatine is basically a nitrogenous organic acid substance that is naturally found in muscle cells. It is responsible for supplying energy to muscle cells throughout the body. Two different types of creatine are monohydrate and creatine nitrate.

Creatine is mainly comprised of three amino acids – L-arginine, L-methionine, and glycine, and can be acquired through food sources or creatine supplements.

Do athletes take creatine?

Yes, athletes and bodybuilders take creatine supplements to increase their muscle strength and boost their overall athletic and workout performance.

Creatine is considered one of the top supplements among athletes and bodybuilders to gain muscle, increase power, and boost exercise performance.

Creatine is a popular supplement among athletes and exercisers. (Photo via Unsplash/LyfeFuel)

What are some possible benefits of creatine supplements?

Creatine supplements are a natural product that can boost your sports performance, overall health, and quality of life. They are not only safe but are one of the most popular and beneficial supplements for improving strength and building strong muscles.

Here are some of the best benefits of using this supplement:

It boosts high-intensity exercise performance

Regular use of creatine supplements can improve exercise performance, thereby making your workouts even more effective and efficient. It can enhance high-intensity exercise by improving factors, including muscle endurance, strength, sprint ability, muscle mass, ballistic power, resistance to fatigue, and recovery.

The best part about this supplement is that it affects your performance regardless of your fitness level.

It helps muscle cells to produce more energy

Creatine supplements help enhance your muscle phosphocreatine store, which promotes the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is an important molecule used by cells for energy and other life functions.

These supplements enhance your phosphocreatine stores and further allow you to produce more ATP energy to help your muscles during all kinds of high intensity activities and exercises.

It promotes muscle mass

If you want to develop more muscle mass, the best supplement you can use is creatine. Several studies have shown that taking creatine for as little as 5 days can significantly promote a lean body and increase muscle size.

Over time, however, the supplement helps in muscle fiber growth by improving your overall gym performance.

Creatine enhances muscle mass. (Photo via Pexels/Victor Freitas)

It may reduce tiredness

Studies suggest that creatine supplements may also help fight against tiredness and fatigue, thereby keeping you energetic throughout the day.

It can help lower blood sugar levels

Creatine may lower blood glucose levels by enhancing the function of glucose transporter type 4 in the muscles. Several studies have shown that people who used creatine along with exercise reported better blood sugar control compared to people who did not use the supplement.

Alongside these, creatine supplements also help with:

• improving basic muscle function
• improving quality of life in seniors
• treating nonalcoholic liver disease

Benefits of creatine on the brain

Several studies suggest that creatine supplements can also improve phosphocreatine stores in the brain. It can manage symptoms of neurological diseases, promote brain health, and also help with the following conditions:

• epilepsy
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Huntington’s disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• ischemic stroke
• spinal cord injuries
• brain injuries
• brain function, especially in seniors

Creatine improves overall brain health. (Photo via Pexels/Anna Shvets)

Now that you know some amazing benefits of using this supplement, try adding this natural substance to your everyday regime and see how it works for you. When picking the best creatine supplement for your fitness goals, however, always opt for creatine monohydrate and choose creatine powders rather than pills.

Although creatine is safe and effective for most healthy people, excessive usage can lead to side effects, though negative effects are very rare. Some common side effects can include anxiety, weight gain, diarrhea, headache, fever, rash, nausea, and breathing difficulty.

To prevent side effects or any kind of problems, always consult a doctor before adding supplements to your everyday routine. This is especially important if you have a heart condition or if you are on certain medications.