« When was the last time you went for a walk? | Main | March 29, 2008 Yoga Meditation »
I am Confused, Can You Tell Me About the Supplement Creatine?
By Christina | March 30, 2008
We all create Creatine in our bodies as it occurs naturally and helps to supply energy to muscle and nerve cells. Creatine was identified in 1832 when Michel Eugène Chevreul discovered it as a component of skeletal muscle, which he later named creatine after the Greek word for flesh, Kreas.
Unlike most supplements that athletes use, creatine is neither a vitamin, mineral, herb nor hormone. It is a naturally occurring amino acid that is found in our body that has the chemical name methyl guanidine-acetic acid. Most creatine (about 95%) is located in the skeletal muscle system, and the remaining 5% is in the brain, heart and testes. Most of the creatine in our system comes from eating meats and fish as well as dairy products, egg whites, nuts and seeds. Although the human body has a way of storing very high amounts of creatine to enhance recovery and muscle power, it is quite challenging to consume enough food to provide the same amount of creatine that using supplements will.
If you do not consume enough creatine to suit your body’s requirements, your body can synthesize it from the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. This manufacturing process takes place in the kidneys, liver and pancreas.
Now that you know what creatine is and how your body makes it, why do people take Creatine supplements? Creatine is mainly appealing to athletes because of its role in energy production, its main benefit. When ATP (adenosine triphosphate) loses one of its phosphate molecules and becomes ADP (adenosine diphosphate), it must be converted back to ATP in order for the molecule to be able to produce energy again. The creatine in our body is mostly stored as creatine phosphate (known as phosphocreatine), and it will donate its phosphate to the ADP which renews the ATP molecule and it can now produce energy. It’s the sharing of the molecule that makes this supplement so appealing. Just think about your next workout, how much better could it be if you have an extra boost of energy over and over.
