Creatine is one of the most popular sports supplements on the market today. It is used--and often times abused--by athletes ranging in age from the high school level all the way up to baby boomers. However, the primary concern is finding out if it does, in fact, decrease body fat.
Significance
Creatine is a supplement that usually comes in powdered, pill or liquid form. It is found naturally in meat and fish. It is stored in the body's muscle cells where it is used to form ATP (adenosene triphosphate), the cell's energy source. It is composed of 3 amino acids which are arginine, glycine and methionine. The amount of meat and fish needed to equal 5 grams of creatine powder would be 2 to 3 pounds. When meat is cooked, it's creatine value gets degraded. This is a big reason why so many people supplement with it, especially vegetarians.
Types
The most popular type of creatine in the marketplace is called creatine monohydrate. There are two other versions called creatine citrate and creatine phosphate, but these have faded out of the scene because of the body's inability to process them.
Effects
Creatine's specific duty is to increase the energy of the muscles. Another term that has been used to describe this is "volumizing" muscle cells. In other words, it fills the muscle with water and energy. That, in turn, produces ATP. This increases reps, size and has been known to speed recoveries.
Benefits
So the finding out of whether it decreases body fat goes on. The answer to this question is really nothing more than common sense. Creatine aids in lean muscle mass gain by giving the muscles more energy to drive workouts. In turn, more reps are able to be done, and heavier weights are able to be lifted. This will cause more calories to be burned, but they are not burned at the expense of size. This gain of lean muscle mass will also increase resting metabolic rate. Faster recoveries are another benefit of creatine because it will cause the body to perform at optimal levels faster. All of these benefits will to an overall decrease in body fat.
Misconceptions
Creatine has gotten a bad reputation for years about its "harmful side effects." This is entirely not true. There has been all kinds of talk about how it causes cancer and destroys the liver and kidneys. Just like everything else, creatine needs to be used as recommended. Another misconception is that creatine causes brain cancer. Once again, this is entirely not true. What has been know to cause brain tumors is the artificial sweetener that is often times seen in a lot of creatine powders. This is where caution should be taken.
Theories/Speculation
As it stands today, there is no substantial proof of creatine causing detrimental damage to the body. If creatine is over used, harmful side effects will most likely occur. This is called mega dosing which can cause bodily harm. But the effects are more along the lines of gas, bloating and diarrhea. Creatine just needs to be well understood and used as directed.
Expert Insight
When creatine is used properly and in conjunction with a solid workout plan, it can be effective at gaining lean muscle mass decreasing body fat. However, creatine is not designed as a specific weight loss supplement. This should be understood when making your decisions about your daily lifestyle, diet and supplement choices.
Tags: lean muscle, lean muscle mass, muscle mass, called creatine, entirely true