CREATINE MONOHYDRATE

Creatine is thought to improve strength, increase lean muscle mass, and help the muscles recover more quickly during exercise. This muscular boost may help athletes achieve bursts of speed and energy, especially during short bouts of high-intensity activities such as weight lifting or sprinting.

The most common is creatine monohydrate, a dietary supplement that increases muscle performance in short-duration, high-intensity resistance exercises. Studies show that taking these supplements benefit athletes during strength training, notably weightlifting and cycling.

When taken by mouth: Creatine is likely safe for most people. Doses up to 25 grams daily for up to 14 days have been safely used. Lower doses up to 4-5 grams daily for up to 18 months have also been safely used. Creatine is possibly safe when taken long-term.

1.Helps muscle cells produce more energy

Creatine supplements increase your muscles’ phosphocreatine stores .

Phosphocreatine aids the formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the key molecule your cells use for energy and all basic life functions .

During exercise, ATP is broken down to produce energy.

The rate of ATP resynthesis limits your ability to continually perform at maximum intensity, as you use ATP faster than you reproduce it .

Creatine supplements increase your phosphocreatine stores, allowing you to produce more ATP energy to fuel your muscles during high-intensity exercise .

This is the primary mechanism behind creatine’s performance-enhancing effects.

2. Supports many other functions in muscles

Creatine is a popular and effective supplement for adding muscle mass .

It can alter numerous cellular pathways that lead to new muscle growth. For example, it boosts the formation of proteins that create new muscle fibers .

It can also raise levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a hormone that promotes increases in muscle mass .

What’s more, creatine supplements can increase the water content of your muscles. This is known as cell volumization and can quickly increase muscle size .

Additionally, some research indicates that creatine decreases levels of myostatin, a molecule responsible for stunting muscle growth. Reducing myostatin can help you build muscle faster .

3. Improves high-intensity exercise performance

Creatine’s direct role in ATP production means it can drastically improve high-intensity exercise performance .

Creatine improves numerous factors, including :

strength
ballistic power
sprint ability
muscle endurance
resistance to fatigue
muscle mass
recovery
brain performance

Unlike supplements that only affect advanced athletes, creatine benefits you regardless of your fitness level .

One review found that it improves high-intensity exercise performance by up to 15% .

Summary
Creatine is the world’s most effective supplement for high-intensity sports. It offers benefits regardless of your current fitness level.

4. Speeds muscle growth

Creatine is the world’s most effective supplement for adding muscle mass .

Taking it for as few as 5–7 days has been shown to significantly increase lean body weight and muscle size.

This initial rise is caused by increases in the water content of your muscles .

Over the long term, it also aids in muscle fiber growth by signaling key biological pathways and boosting gym performance .

In one study of a 6-week training regimen, participants who used creatine added 4.4 pounds (2 kg) more muscle mass, on average, than the control group .

Similarly, a comprehensive review demonstrated a clear increase in muscle mass among those taking creatine, compared with those performing the same training regimen without creatine .

This review also compared the world’s most popular sports supplements and concluded that creatine is the best one available. Its advantages include being less expensive and far safer than most other sports supplements (27Trusted Source).

Summary
Creatine can increase both short- and long-term muscle mass growth. It’s the most effective muscle building supplement available.

5. May help with Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by reduced levels of dopamine, a key neurotransmitter in your brain (8Trusted Source.

The large reduction in dopamine levels causes brain cell death and several serious symptoms, including tremors, loss of muscle function, and speech impairments .

Creatine has been linked to beneficial effects in mice with Parkinson’s, preventing 90% of the typical drop in dopamine levels. However, there is no evidence that it has the same effect in humans .

In an attempt to treat the loss of muscle function and strength, those with Parkinson’s often weight train .

In one study in individuals with this disease, combining creatine with weight training improved strength and daily function to a greater extent than training alone .

However, a recent analysis of five controlled studies in people with Parkinson’s noted that taking 4–10 grams of creatine per day didn’t significantly improve their ability to perform daily activities .

Summary
Creatine may reduce some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease by improving muscle strength and function.

6. May fight other neurological diseases

A key factor in several neurological diseases is a reduction of phosphocreatine in your brain .

Since creatine can increase these levels, it may help reduce or slow disease progression.

This restoration of phosphocreatine helped maintain daily function and reduced cell death by around 25% .

creatine supplements may treat other diseases too, including :

Alzheimer’s disease
ischemic stroke
epilepsy
brain or spinal cord injuries

Creatine has also shown benefits against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that affects the motor neurons that are essential for movement. It improved motor function, reduced muscle loss, and extended survival rate by 17% .

Although more studies are needed in humans, some researchers believe that creatine supplements can serve as a defense against neurological diseases when used alongside conventional medicines.

Summary
Animal studies suggest that creatine can reduce the symptoms and progression of neurological diseases, as well as improve life expectancy in those living