I scream, you scream, we all scream for Creatine!
Creatine is by far the most studied dietary supplement of the last quarter-century. Its safety and effectiveness have been proven time and time again. A brief background on what you have undoubtedly heard before but may have forgotten.
Now that you have had an overview of your physiology 101 course, here are a few creatine factoids you haven’t been told.
Creatine has been so well studied that more recent research has looked beyond what has become common knowledge in the athletic and supplement communities uncovering more benefits of creatine!
Creatine has been shown to boost calorie burning by an average of 100 calories per day when used regularly. While creatine is not a “fat burner” in the traditional sense its ability to increase the volume of muscle cells also increases the calories used by your skeletal muscle. It makes sense that a larger muscle producing more energy would utilize more calories during workouts and throughout your daily activities. While a 100 calorie average isn’t huge, consider all you had to do was stir some powder into your drink!
Creatine consumption can decrease Myostatin levels in the muscle cells. Creatine’s ability to increase muscle size and strength is well documented but not all details of how it does this are understood. Myostatin is a protein that prevents muscle growth. Lower your Myostatin levels and you’ll experience significant muscle growth. Heavy weight training is one way to lower your levels of Myostatin. Studies testing Myostatin levels of individuals lifting weights showed that levels were most reduced by those lifting AND taking creatine. Although the cellular interactions between creatine are not fully known, creatine has been shown to regulate Myostatin levels for improved size and strength.
Creatine not only increases muscle size, but it also DECREASES muscle breakdown. Another way creatine improves performance and speeds recovery is by decreasing chemical markers for muscle protein breakdown. When creatine pulls water into the muscle cell increasing cell volume it can also increase glycogen levels within the cell. MORE FUEL!!
~ written by Jason Rule, Driven Nutrition, “3 ways you DIDN’T know it was working for you”