pad

Creatine Side Effects



Creatine Side Effects Product Information

You’ve probably heard about the supplement called Creatine Monohydrate. It’s the supplement widely used by people trying to get buff from working out, as well as athletes wanting to hit more home runs. What you might not know is that creatine may also do wonders for your brain.

For years, athletes and weightlifting enthusiasts have used creatine. It’s supposed to enhance performance, as evidenced most notably by Mark McGwire during his record-breaking baseball performance. When people found out his “secret,” there was a mad rush to the health food stores to stock up on creatine. People assumed that they would become sports stars by taking a magic pill.

Not so fast. Creatine has been shown to boost performance slightly, but it’s not a miracle supplement. It’s accepted as an excellent recovery supplement to take after workouts. If you exerted yourself during a work out, creatine might help you recover more quickly so you won’t miss the next workout or be as sore the next day.

Biceps aside, some of the creatine studies are pretty surprising. In mice that were given creatine, brain damage after a concussion was significantly reduced. In several brain and nerve studies, researchers have come to the conclusion that creatine might help speed up recovery after brain or nerve damage. It may also protect nerves from damage, and there is even talk about it slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease!

One of the most interesting studies involving creatine took place in Australia in 2003. Most people have heard about the Gingko Biloba supplement. Many people spend a fortune on gingko, thinking it’s helping them remember, concentrate and improve brain function - even though most studies have proven it ineffective. In the Australian creatine study, scientists were surprised with the results that creatine produced. It seemed to do what everyone thought gingko could do.

When the results were published in 2003 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences, people were amazed to find that there was a very significant difference in brain function between participants who took creatine versus participants who were given a placebo. The researchers even asserted that, in theory, you could begin taking creatine weeks before an exam and actually do better on the test!

If you want to try creatine to improve your memory, concentration, and brain function, you should know that it is a supplement, so it is not approved by the FDA. While there have been no long-term studies on side effects - and creatine does naturally occur in the body - there are worries about kidney damage. Kidneys secrete any extra creatine that builds up in the body. However, you’d probably have to take massive amounts of creatine to cause a possible overload. It’s a good idea to ask your doctor if you plan on long-term creatine use. Of course, you’re a lot more likely to remember to ask your doctor once you’re taking the creatine!