Side effects of creatine

Creatine side effects

The biggest concerns regarding taking supplements are the potential risks and side effects that may occur, particularly if the correct dosage isn't strictly followed. Creatine is probably the most widely used and well-known supplement along with whey protein powders, however despite this most people are still unsure of the positive and potential side effects if taken incorrectly.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that many people still believe that creatine is a form of testosterone and that many of the side effects related with steroids will occur if you supplement with creatine, this is not true!

Potential serve reported side effects of creatine

Due to the fact that creatine is still a fairly new product the potential long-term side effects are still not fully understood, so the long term effects cannot be commented on.

As far as short-term side effects there has yet to be an official report documenting the negative effects of creatine. Although through my research a number of individuals have reported quite serious and serve incidences after taking the supplement, these range from people having suspected enlarged hearts, the crystallization of the kidneys through increased acid levels in the blood resulting in kidney stones and an increase in the liver enzyme activity which can result in liver disease.

Upon further investigation into to these claims most of the users where in fact abusers and didn't follow the recommendations on the label. The people who where suspected of having an enlarged heart are most likley unaware this is a natural adaption to weight training and increased muscle mass that is obtained from taking the supplement. The bigger you are and the more train, you place more stress on the heart, more work is required therefore this results in a bigger more powerful heart muscle. If you compared a top-level 100-meter runners heart or an elite level marathon runners heart to the average Joe on the street you will find that there heart is much bigger and more powerful. As for the forming of kidney stones is an extremely common condition and can also be put down to a number of factors. The first precaution when taken creatine is to drink 3 - 4 litres of water a day and even more on training days. From owning a gym and speaking to people I can almost guarantee that most people struggle to drink 1 litre a day. Secondly most kidney stones are caused through poor diet and to much alcohol consumption, how many average gym goers who take this supplement follow a proper eating plan (I bet not many!) and then find themselves out on a Saturday night in there skin tight t-shirts showing of there newly acquired muscle mass while knocking back 7 or 8 pints of Stella, 5 double vodkas and a big fat greasy kebab? The liver on the other hand is a very resilient organ and has the capability of regenerating itself once use or abuse has subsided. No product can be guaranteed to be 100% safe it all depends on the individual but you need to take into account all factors when discussing the positives and negatives of any product, until a study has been done where all these variables i.e. diet, lifestyle, fluid intake etc have been fully controlled, follow the advice and guidelines recommended.

Apart from some of the scare stories that you may of heard about, creatine is actually a safe product; it does not affect blood pressure, heart rate, or kidney function. If it was so dangoures how would it be able to be sold for over fifteen years when other products are taken of the shelves in a matter of months if they are thought to be of any danger for human consumption. Any serious bodybuilder or nutritionalist will tell you that creatine is a naturally occurring product that is found in meats, particularly red meats such as beef. The only difference is that supplementing with creatine is alot easier than eating a ton of red meat

The main other short term side effects that can be caused through supplementing with creative is nausea, stomach upset, dizziness, loose stools, diarreha, muscle cramping, weight gain, dehydration but again this is down to the individual tolerance and if kept to the recommended 5- 10grams per day no problem should arise.

The increase in water retention under the surface of the skin and an increase of water within the muscle itself sometimes giving a bloated look Is another side effect whether good or bad depends solely and the individuals personal preference. This is usually just a temporary effect, and usually diminishes or subsides after a few weeks of use and is totally gone once the course is stopped. This excess gain of water weight is often frowned upon but is actually helpful in the process of increasing new muscle mass, firstly an increase in water helps put the body in a positive nitrogen retentive state, which is critical when trying to gain new muscle mass, and secondly when there is more water between the muscle they look fuller bigger and harder, just the thing that your after.

Creatine will help you pack on the pounds or enhance your performance especially if you are following a strict eating regime of carbs protein and essential fats and training correctly for the goals that you're trying to achieve. You will be able to workout longer and harder by creating a lactic acid buffer during workouts (lowers burning sensation in the muscles when training hard). Will also give you additional energy boost that may be needed if to have hit a plateau in your training. Muscle will become harder, fuller and denser enabling you to increase the poundage's that you put on the bar.

All these gains are achievable as long as you follow the recommendations and guidelines and don't overdo the dosages; remember more is not always better especially if it means putting your health at risk.

Nearly all companies recommend going onto a loading phase when taking the supplement this usually involves taking 5g 4 - 5 times per day for a period of 5 - 7 days this is not necessary, independent studies have shown that ignoring the loading phase and going straight into the maintenance phase gets you the same end result. In my opinion the loading phase is just a gimmick to get the customer to use twice as much of the product when there is no real benefit in doing so. Below are some guidelines and recommended brands and how best to be cycled and the different types of creatines that are available.

Creatine Monohydrate

Products - AST Micronised, Reflex Creapure, CNP, Creatamax 300GL/8000GL/Capsules, Cell-Tech.

Loading Phase: 2 times daily for 5 days, then once a day from that point on.

Micronised creatine is a smaller grain so therefore dissolves more freely, this means less gritty sand at the bottom of your glass.

Creatine Monohydrate Cycling. This is a personal choice, but its recommended 4 weeks on 2 weeks off. The belief is that, doing so will help you maintain the gains you make. Again if you use it for a to longer period of time, the body gets used to it, so the gains disappear.

Advanced Creatines

Products - San V-12 Turbo, Reflex Tri-Matrix V2, Syntrax Swole V2, Isatori Metacel and VPX CEX.

These require no loading phase as they are designed to absorb into your system more easily. With advanced creatines you would use them for maximum of 8 weeks then have a 4-week rest period.

Some negative results are often reported but some are scientifically unexplainable, like the ones I mentioned earlier within this report. Whether they are fact or fiction is still a matter of question. Some baffling negative results may be simply rumour and arise from it being mistakenly connected with anabolic steroids.

Then again, some may have previously escaped detection because most scientific studies use only the highest-grade ingredients. That is why it is of utmost importance to buy your supplements from a reputable manufacturer or supplier, good examples of these are shown above. They have been proven to be of first-rate quality using only the purest ingredients.