Creatine questions

[blackbeard]

Show me studies that say creatine causes kidney problems. Stomach problems like diarrhoea are small stuff, nothing to worry about. Most side effects from creatine are there because people don't drink enough while they are on it anyways.

The lists the following precautions when taking creatine.

Precautions of Creatine

Because of the potential for side effects and interactions with medications, dietary supplements should be taken only under the supervision of a knowledgeable healthcare provider.

Side effects of creatine include weight gain, muscle cramps, muscle strains and pulls, stomach upset, diarrhea, dizziness, high blood pressure, liver dysfunction, and kidney damage. The weight gain is thought to be due primarily to water retention. Creatine should not be used by anyone who already has problems kidney function, high blood pressure, or liver disease. Taking creatine supplements may prevent the body from making it's own natural stores. The long-term consequences of this are not known.

A 2001 report by the Food Safety Agency of France (AFSSA) raised questions about creatine supplements possibly putting users at greater risk for cancer, particularly if such supplements are taken for long periods of time. However, the European Commission and the Council for Responsible Nutrition in the United States both determined that AFSSA's claims are unsubstantiated and not based on any scientific evidence of a connection between creatine and cancer. All three organizations do agree, though, that risks of long-term use of creatine are not known at this time.

Creatine supplements containing contaminants from the production process have been reported. Be sure to buy products made by established companies with good reputations, and who distribute their products through trustworthy and knowledgeable establishments.

I'm actually surprised creatine is not banned somewhere in the world as other products have been banned without such evidence.

 

[fitslug]

I've personally had good results with Purple K and you don't have to cycle it so that ends the whole cycling debate.

But really... if you are using creatine monohydrate... cycle it. True, you don't HAVE to cycle it but I think you should.

More so to give your liver a break above any of the other reasons some people have said such as losing it's effectiveness and losing the ability to synthesize it. When using mono, I too have personally seen better results when I'm back on the cycle after a break as opposed to being on it continuously for 3 months.

So in the end, just to be safe... either use Purple K. Or cycle monohydrate.

And for god sakes... please don't use NOXPLODE. The last time I checked the bottle didn't tell you the exact amount of creatine in it, but I assure you it's not that much! If you want a great pre-workout supplement... try Power Drive from Biotest. Its $17 and much better in my opinion.

Cheers.

 

[Karky]

The growing use of creatine as a potential ergogenic aid among active individuals has raised concern regarding its effects on the kidney, particularly among those individuals with compromised renal function. The object of this study is to investigate the effects of oral creatine supplementation in an accepted animal model of renal cystic disease

That's actually the only study I found that article citing that was directly about kidney damage. I only quoted one part of the abstract, it's all you should need to know that the results can't be used on healthy people.

that article is probably also old, they mostly cite research from the 90s. Back in the day people were very cautious about creatine. You need to stop just reading articles and start reading research.

Here are some of the first hits I got when searching for "long term creatine supplementation safety" on pubmed








I haven't had time to read the full texts, as I'm going to school now.

 

[leckbass]

The grams I consume are based on my body weight, and I usually encircle the dosage around my workouts on training days, and usually just simply space out my usage during the day on non-training days.

Chillen, what formula do you follow to figure out how much to take per day?

thanks

 

[Chillen]

Chillen, what formula do you follow to figure out how much to take per day?

thanks

In my very first post in your thread (#14), I posted a link. Within this link is a some good information, and has a research article included. It is a good read, and you should take time to read it.

It also has a formula you can follow. This is what I do. Like I said, you are going to get varying opinions in what to do. I am experimenting with this at the moment, as I am with two types of Creatine (Mono and Ethyl Ester) dependent on approach on diet.

If you have trouble narrowing down the premise it represents, I will summarize the formula, and post what I do.

Good luck, Leckbass......Wish you well.


Best wishes,

Chillen

 

[leckbass]

Great article with great info, thanks! But now i have more questions...

1. According to the article is is beneficial (but not necessary) to use a loading phase at .3g per kg. Is this for total body weight, or LBM?

2. According to the article, you should use between 3g and 5g during the maintaince phase, what formula do you figure out how much to use during maintiance? I would like to be exact.

thanks again for all your help

 

[Karky]

Great article with great info, thanks! But now i have more questions...

1. According to the article is is beneficial (but not necessary) to use a loading phase at .3g per kg. Is this for total body weight, or LBM?

2. According to the article, you should use between 3g and 5g during the maintaince phase, what formula do you figure out how much to use during maintiance? I would like to be exact.

thanks again for all your help

you're sweating it too much, overthinking it. We can't know what will be best for you, since everyone is different. I'd just go with 0.3 per kg BW if you decide to do the loading and then 5g in the maintenance phase just to be safe.

 

[leckbass]

ok good, thats what i figured, again i appreciate al of your help